Darren Inkpen, aged 50, of Woodview Road, Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, has been sentenced to five years’ imprisonment at Newcastle Crown Court after carrying out a sexual assault on a teenager in Hartlepool.
The prosecution arose from an incident in the Hartlepool policing area where Inkpen subjected the young victim to a series of sexual assaults.
The court heard that the victim was left visibly shaking and deeply distressed as a result of the ordeal.
Appearing before the Crown Court, Inkpen entered formal guilty pleas to three counts of sexual assault.
However, the court was told that Inkpen demonstrated a complete absence of remorse following his conviction.
During pre-sentence interviews with the Probation Service, Inkpen actively retracted his admissions and denied having committed the offences.
A formal risk assessment evaluated Inkpen as presenting a “high risk of causing serious harm to children and vulnerable women.”
During the sentencing hearing, Inkpen appeared via video link from custody and raised objections regarding the proposed terms of an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO), which strictly bars him from having unsupervised contact with children without prior authorization.
Inkpen expressed grievance that the order would impact his ability to attend and work at miniature horse shows during the summer months, telling the court: “I work with miniature horses in the summer, miniature horse shows. There’s always children around, how’s that going to work? I help an adult out, help out with them but there’s always kids there. The kids show their horses as well.”
Presiding judge Robert Adams addressed his protests, making clear that events arranged specifically for children are strictly prohibited: “I think that would be allowed, you are perfectly entitled to conduct your lawful daily life but mustn’t have any contact with any children under 18 unless inadvertent. That shouldn’t be a difficulty, unless of course it’s a horse show put on specifically for children.”
Judge Adams added that the exact terms and restrictions of the SHPO would be finalised at a follow-up hearing the following month, declining to be drawn into further debate over horse shows.
The judge sentenced Inkpen to an immediate custodial sentence of five years (60 months).
In addition to the prison term, the court ordered Inkpen to comply with the notification requirements of the Sex Offenders Register for life and made him subject to an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order.
Release Calculation: Under UK sentencing legislation governing standard determinate custodial sentences under seven years, Inkpen is entitled to statutory release on licence at the halfway mark. He is required to serve one-half (30 months / two and a half years) of his five-year sentence in prison custody before release on licence to serve the remaining 30 months under the statutory supervision of the Probation Service in the community.
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