The mother of a young Aberdeen girl who was sexually assaulted has branded the perpetrator’s sentence a “disgrace”.
The woman hit out after Jaimon Mathew, of Rowan Road, Aberdeen, was handed 250 hours of unpaid work and 18 months’ supervision after being found guilty of five counts of sexual assault.
Mathew, 51, denied the charges and told a social worker in the wake of his conviction after trial that he was the “victim”.
However, he was convicted of sexually assaulting five different girls, who were all in their mid-teens, at an address in Aberdeen between June 2018 and March this year, by touching them over their clothing.
Speaking outside court following the sentencing, the mother of one of the girls involved said: “I just really can’t believe that he’s gotten off with it.
“My daughter couldn’t sleep at night.
“I think it’s a disgrace. The justice system is all wrong.
“Everybody is getting community payback when he clearly should go to prison and get help in prison.
“He should have got a custodial sentence for what he’s done to the children.
“It’s unfair what he got.
“My daughter was crying in court.”
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Speaking at the sentencing hearing, defence solicitor Stuart Murray told Aberdeen Sheriff Court the social work report prepared for the court was “not particularly positive” as Mathew’s position remained that he “did not commit the offences for which he was found guilty”.
He added: “In discussions with the author of the report he referred to himself on more than one occasion as the victim.”
Sheriff Ian Wallace told Mathew: “You were found guilty of sexually assaulting five females by touching them over their clothing.
“I do not accept any of your explanations for your actions. You’re simply not telling the truth about what happened.”
In addition to the unpaid work and supervision, Sheriff Wallace made Mathew subject to the notification requirements of the Sexual Offences Act for 18 months.