Sheffield pervert who molested nine-year-old girl walks free from court

Sheffield Crown Court heard on September 7 how Simon Windle, aged 48, of Knowle Road, near Parson Cross, Sheffield, had been smoking an e-cigarette outside on steps at another location in Sheffield where the girl was playing with two friends when he sexually assaulted her.

Nicola Quinney, prosecuting, said a neighbour confronted Windle because she saw him give his e-cigarette to the nine-year-old and she produced camera footage to show the child’s mother.

Ms Quinney added: “Watching that she then saw the defendant had been outside with the girls and he had shared his e-cigarette with them on a number of occasions – giving it to them, or blowing smoke and then breathing in the vapour.”

Windle was seen on the footage at one point blowing smoke up the nine-year-old girl’s skirt and he is also seen putting his hand under her skirt, according to Ms Quinney.

Ms Quinney added that the youngster’s father confronted Windle and when he spoke with his daughter she confirmed the defendant had touched her.

The youngster, who cannot be indentified for leal reasons, told police Windle had touched her genitals over the top of her pants.

Windle, who has an unrelated previous conviction from 2003, pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a child after the incident in May 2019.

Kevin Jones, defending, said Windle had made a stupid decision by offering a child a vape and blowing smoke up her dress.

Judge Roger Thomas told Windle: “You are larking about but the larking about becomes inappropriate at best and almost sinister at worst because you have got some sort of cigarette or vaping thing and you are blowing smoke up one of the girls’ skirts.

"And you actually touch this particular girl, this nine-year-old, on her pants, under her crotch.”

Judge Thomas said the youngster’s family is really trying to put this matter behind them and he hopes their child can grow up without this incident affecting her.

He sentenced Windle to a two-year community order with a Rehabilitation Activity Requirement.

Windle was also placed on the Sex Offenders Register for five years and was made subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for the same period.