Former taxi driver jailed for 'predatory' attack (From Warrington Guardian)

Former taxi driver David Hines jailed for 'predatory' attack on Bangor student

12:19pm Wednesday 6th February 2013 in News

A FORMER taxi driver has been jailed after grabbing and sexually assaulting a teenage girl in Bangor in what was described as a 'predatory' attack.

David Hines, of Evelyn Street, passed the 19-year-old victim in his car in the early hours of the morning in August last year before putting on a balaclava with eye holes.

The university student bravely fought off the 41-year-old and Mold Crown Court heard on Wednesday she had screamed: “No, this is not happening, absolutely no way.”

Hines, who had no previous convictions, was arrested at his home in Sankey Bridges in October after his DNA was found on her clothing.

Caroline Harris, prosecuting, said: “He calmly walked towards her and grabbed her arms, before touching her over her clothes.

“She pushed him away but his grip on her arms became tighter.

“The victim later told police how the defendant appeared ‘unnervingly calm’ the whole time.”

In a letter to the judge, unemployed Hines said he wanted the help of the mental health services but a psychiatric report showed no mental health condition was diagnosed.

Simeon Evans, defending, said: “At the time he was going through a period of great stress in his life.

“He had been troubled by issues which arose from his work as a taxi driver when he had been subjected to a violent robbery and had been threatened.

“When he left the bed and breakfast in north Wales that morning he had no intention of committing such an offence and was disgusted with himself.”

Judge Merfyn Hughes QC said Hines' actions were ‘premeditated and predatory’ and sentenced him to 32 months in jail and ordered him to register as a sex offender for life.