Sex offender, 82, given suspended jail sentence

John Dowson was sentenced at York Crown Court

An 82-year-old man has been sentenced after admitting two indecent assaults and one charge of sexual assault.

John Dowson, of Whitby, was given a 14-month jail sentence suspended for two years at York Crown Court on Tuesday.

His offences, which took place between the 1990s and 2024, were committed against "multiple" women, North Yorkshire Police said.

Dowson, who pleaded guilty to all three offences on 27 May, was also ordered to undertake 250 hours of community service and given a 10-year sexual harm prevention order, as well as a 10-year restraining order.

Addressing Dowson in a statement read out in court, one of the victims said her attacker "took a part of my happiness, security and tranquillity that day".

She said: "My life was changed forever by your actions - not just mine, but the lives of so many others who were affected in the ripple effect of your choices.

"What you did caused me irreversible pain and fear. The kind of fear that creeps into everyday moments. That lingers within spaces where I used to feel safe.

"The damage you've done doesn't just fade with time, it follows me and I believe it always will."

Dowson was also order to sign the sex offenders' register by the judge.

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