A CARE worker who was 15 when he allegedly handcuffed and sexually assaulted a younger boy was spared jail.
Ryan Gough-Hughes, 28, of Highbury Avenue, Prestatyn, had been playing a game of hide-and-seek when he molested the boy, Caernarfon crown court heard.
Simon Rogers, defending, said: "This conviction will have devastating consequences for him, of that there can be no doubt.”
Counsel remarked: "I accept there are unpleasant aspects to the case. In reality this was sexual experimentation by a 15-year-old boy that has never been repeated.”
The defendant had been a care worker at the time of a trial when he was found guilty of the offence.
He had lost his job.
Mr Rogers said it was a “relatively short-lived” incident and there had been no repetition.
The barrister argued it was an “exceptional” case.
Recorder Peter Rouch QC, on a video link from another court, said toy handcuffs had been used on the victim who was led to a secluded spot and told no-one would believe him if he said anything.
“The incident must have had a lasting effect on him because of his complaint to the police now,” the judge remarked.
Gough-Hughes had been a valued member of staff as a care worker but lost that job for the “isolated” offence.
He would have been far less mature 13 years ago.
A two-year suspended jail term was imposed and he must register as a sex offender for ten years.
Recorder Rouch accepted: "This was an incident of sexual experimentation.”
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