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18/03/2010

Deaf man guilty of sex assault

A deaf man is facing jail after being convicted of a sex attack on a young girl.

Jonathan Gibbons, 36, of Bromley Street, Derby, was convicted by a jury for assaulting the teenage girl.

Gibbons, a disabled rights campaigner, denied indecent assault, but was found guilty following a trial lasting nearly a week.

Details of the attack only came to light when his victim spoke of her ordeal after taking a drugs overdose.

After the verdict was announced, it was revealed that the 36-year-old had previous convictions for indecent assaults on two teenage girls in 1993 and one for indecent exposure.

In 2006, Gibbons won a landmark settlement against Peterborough County Court which refused to allow him the use of an interpreter in court.

Gibbons was remanded on bail until April 23 for probation and psychiatric reports, but was warned by a judge to expect a custodial sentence.

(UK, 18 March 2010)
Signed by Khalid Ashraf