An Axminster Paedophile, Robert Grimshaw, has been convicted of molesting a three-year-old girl, who became one of the youngest witnesses to testify in a criminal prosecution.
The courageous little girl was recorded as she recounted to the police how Robert Grimshaw had entered her room during the night and inappropriately groped her.
He arrived at her parents’ residence in Devon following a dispute with his fiancée and was intended to spend the night in a separate room.
The three-year-old was using body maps to illustrate to specially trained police officers the actions he had taken against her.
She was not required to attend Exeter Crown Court in person for Robert Grimshaw’s trial, as her cross-examination was pre-recorded and presented to the jury.
Robert Grimshaw, 29, of Foxhills, Axminster, refuted two charges of sexual assault but was convicted. He will be sentenced following the preparation of probation reports.
In the case, Mr Peter Coombe, the prosecutor, stated that the attacks occurred on the night of January 9, 2020, when Robert Grimshaw arrived uninvited at the parents’ residence in East Devon and was permitted to stay overnight.
The young girl roused her mother in the nocturnal hours to request the removal of a Toy Story DVD that Robert Grimshaw had initiated while he was in contact with her. She did not disclose the abuse at that juncture.
She informed her mother the following day and subsequently provided her video-recorded interview to the police a few days later. She informed them that she no longer views Toy Story since it evokes memories of that night.
Her parents testified that she was so traumatised by the assault that they had to rearrange her room before she could sleep in it again, and that she installed trip wires to prevent strangers from approaching her bed.
The girls’ pyjamas were submitted for forensic analysis, revealing Robert Grimshaw’s DNA on the interior.
He asserted that he had retrieved the pyjamas left outside her room and denied committing any assaults. He was convicted by unanimous decision.
Judge David Evans informed Robert Grimshaw that he had been found guilty based on compelling evidence and received a 4-year prison sentence.
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