A former police officer allegedly sexually assaulted a young girl in York and asked her: “How does this feel?”
George Thomson-Smith, 89, from Copmanthorpe, is accused of multiple sex offences against three girls between 2002 and 2009 when he was in his mid-60s and early 70s.
On the fourth day of his trial at Newcastle Crown Court on Thursday (16 April), the jury were shown a pre-recorded police interview where the girl said that in one instance, Mr Thomson-Smith sexually assaulted her, then told her not to tell anyone.
She said she felt “horrible, disgusted”, but she didn’t tell anyone at the time.
She said that during the alleged assault, Mr Thomson-Smith said to her “something like, ‘how does this feel?’”
“He used to make me touch him a lot,” she added. She said he would expose himself and ask her to touch him.
In cross-examination from Mr Thomson-Smith’s barrister Tania Griffiths KC on Friday (17 April), the complainant said that in a separate alleged sexual assault, he told her “to be quiet and don’t tell anyone”.
Ms Griffiths KC, who described the former police officer as a “kind and quiet man”, insisted that her client, a churchgoer, was “not guilty” of all charges.
She said that he and his wife were “what sometimes are termed as do-gooders in the community, reaching out to help people in need”.
Mr Thomson-Smith is charged with 12 sexual offences including indecently assaulting a girl under 13 years of age and inciting a child to engage in sexual activity. He denies all 12 charges, some of which are “multiple incident” counts.
Prosecutor David Hall said that the former Metropolitan Police officer and his wife, an ex-teacher, were worshippers at their parish church in Askham Bryan and had been members of Anglican churches in and around Acomb.
Mr Hall said that one of the girls was repeatedly sexually assaulted between 2002 and 2003 when she was barely in her teens.
He said that Mr Thomson-Smith sexually assaulted the girl by touching her on intimate parts of her body.
He alleged that another, younger girl was also sexually assaulted on several occasions around the same period.
He said that a third, even younger girl – who was giving evidence yesterday – was also subjected to repeated sexual assaults between 2006 and 2009.
Mr Thomson-Smith, of Hallcroft Lane, Copmanthorpe, is also accused of inciting that same girl to engage in sexual activity on no less than four occasions during the same period.
Mr Hall told the jury that one of the girls came forward to police in 2010, alleging that Mr Thomson-Smith had sexually abused her eight years previously.
Following those disclosures, Mr Thomson-Smith was arrested and brought in for questioning about the girl’s allegations.
He denied the allegations and the Crown Prosecution Service decided to take no further action against him at the time.
However, in November 2021, a second girl came forward to police and alleged that she had been sexually abused by Mr Thomson-Smith and said she was “made to touch him inappropriately”.
In March 2022, a third girl told police that Mr Thomson-Smith had sexually assaulted her on several occasions by touching her on intimate parts of her body.
Following these latter two disclosures, police reopened the case of the girl who was the first to come forward to the authorities 16 years ago. Mr Thomson-Smith was arrested again and denied all allegations.
The 12 alleged offences against the three girls include 10 counts of sexual or indecent assault and two counts of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.
Some of these alleged offences are said to have occurred on no less than three or four occasions.
None of the three complainants, who are now adults, can be named for legal reasons.
The trial continues.
