Maidstone pedophile ‘exploring his sexuality’ avoids jail for abusing boy

A pedophile who was said to be “exploring his sexuality” when he abused a boy has been spared jail.

Harvey Doughty was just 18 when he sent a series of explicit texts to the vulnerable youngster before he had sex.

The victim, who cannot be identified, later told police she felt she had no choice but to give in to the teenager’s pressure and was left “disgusted”.

He also told Maidstone Crown Court that Doughty became “vigorous” and ignored his pleas to stop.

But although the prosecution at Doughty’s trial claimed he “took advantage” of the boy – who was said to have “submitted rather than consented” to the sexual act before making his objection clear during it – Doughty was released of oral rape by the jury.

However, he pleaded guilty before his trial to offenses of sexual activity with a child and causing a child to engage in sexual activity in relation to the same incident.

At his sentencing hearing on Thursday (October 31), the court heard how the now 21-year-old’s depraved behavior affected his victim.

An impact statement written by the young man’s mother said he had performed poorly at school, was left “worried and scared” about seeing his abuser again and had an emotional breakdown which led to him running away from home and be reported. to the police as a missing person.

His anxiety, she added, was at an “uncontrollable level”, with incidents of self-harm.

But after facing a maximum sentence of 14 years in prison, Doughty’s barrister Simeon Wallis argued that “great importance” could be placed on rehabilitation when balanced against public protection and punishment in the sentencing exercise.

“He made a grave mistake, a sustained error, while exploring his sexuality as an 18-year-old…”

He also told the court that Doughty lacked “sexual preoccupation” and “labored” with a number of difficulties, including a low IQ.

“He knows what he did was wrong, it was harmful, and he is extremely sorry. He is ashamed of what has happened, he is sorry and it is his hope that with time and the completion of these proceedings, the burden on (his victim) begins to ease,” Mr Wallis told the court.

“He was 18 years old, inexperienced, confused and behaved, the court may believe, recklessly.”

The lawyer also explained that in the three years since, Doughty has “withdrawn into his own sense of identity” and would have to do a lot of work, not just to “deny himself”.

But Mr Wallis added that it showed “real insight” into his offending behaviour.

“It’s the most shameful, embarrassing and damaging thing he’s done,” he said. “He made a serious mistake, a sustained mistake, while exploring his sexuality as an 18-year-old.”

At the trial, prosecutor Martin Yale told jurors that in early 2022, Doughty and the boy exchanged texts.

Doughty initially asked if he could tell her “a secret” before revealing that he believed he was bisexual.

The messages soon became explicit, with Doughty making remarks about what he would do to the young man and suggesting they had sex.

At first the victim questioned the seriousness of what he was being told, Mr Yale said, and repeatedly told Doughty how old he was.

But Doughty simply replied “Nobody needs to know” and continued to “reassure” him when the boy asked what would happen if anyone found out, the prosecutor added.

Other messages then led to the victim’s “giving in,” the lawsuit alleged.

In a videotaped interview with police, played in court, the boy described how he initially took Doughty’s messages about sexual desire “quite lightly” and thought a comment about “age was just a number” was pure and just a joke.

But he said that after making “various apologies” to Doughty, he felt he had “no choice” but to have sex.

The boy also claimed that when he asked Doughty to stop, he was cruelly told “it wasn’t that bad and to deal with it”.

He was said to have been “extremely upset” when he told family and friends he believed he had been raped, and later described the encounter to police as “terrible”.

Doughty, of Knott Court, Maidstone, was arrested and gave a ‘No Comment’ interview.

Although he was later acquitted of the more serious charge of rape, Mr Yale told the court that because of his guilty pleas to the two sexual activity offences, there was “no doubt” that Doughty “encouraged her and took party to it”. .

Doughty was released on bail pending a sentencing hearing, which was adjourned for probation and psychological reports.

At the end of the trial, the judge, Recorder Matthew McDonagh, had told Doughty that, despite the jury’s not guilty verdict, he “had to understand” the seriousness of the charges he had admitted and that “substantial sentences” could be imposed.

But after adjourning Thursday’s sentencing hearing overnight to consider the appropriate sentence, Doughty returned to court on Friday (November 1) where he was given an 18-month prison sentence suspended for two years.

He must also attend an accredited sex offender program run by the probation service, as well as 30 sessions of the rehabilitation activity requirement and register on the sex offenders’ register.