Jailed for sex attack in police custody

Jury finds Thatcham man guilty of assaulting terrified woman

A MAN who sexually assaulted a woman while he was in police custody has been jailed.

The 38-year-old must also sign on the Sex Offenders Register, after terrorising his victim inside a police station.

During the trial, jurors heard how the terrified woman, alone in a room with the half-naked man, shouted “no, no no!” and pushed a panic button – which initially failed to work – as her attacker advanced on her, the court heard.

The defendant had already made two female police officers uncomfortable with sexual innuendos and by staring at their groins following his arrest on an unrelated matter, jurors heard.

Christopher John Phipps, who lives at Westlands, Thatcham, subsequently gave a ‘no comment’ interview with police.

But, giving evidence under oath during his Reading Crown Court trial, he insisted all three women were lying and had fabricated evidence against him.

That claim allowed Sheila Davis, prosecuting, to reveal to jurors his lengthy criminal record for offences including dishonesty – a record which they would otherwise have been prevented by trial rules from knowing.

Phipps had denied sexually assaulting a woman in Loddon Valley Police Station in Lower Earley on Wednesday, May 27.

The court heard he had been left alone with the woman, who cannot be identified for legal reasons.

After making her fearful with his sexualised behaviour, Phipps began running his foot up her leg and propositioning her.

The victim told jurors: “At this point I was up against a wall and there wasn’t any exit for me... his arms were raised as he walked towards me.

“I hit the panic button – it didn’t initially work.

“Obviously I was pretty terrified at this point, but he saw me hit it and started to back away.”

The woman hit the button again.

This time it worked and Phipps was retrained and arrested for sexual assault.

Giving evidence under oath, Phipps denied the veracity of all three women’s accounts, branding them “completely untrue” and fabricated.

He said he respected women in general and had no idea why the alleged victim had hit the panic button in the room.

Sophie Chaplin, defending, told the jury: “His defence isn’t particularly elaborate.

“It is that he didn’t touch [the alleged victim] in a sexual way.

“He has been known to the court for the past 20 years.

“He is someone who has had a drug habit.

“He is certainly not proud of that.

“But not one of his previous convictions are of a sexual nature.

“It’s a central, narrow issue; was there any touching of a sexual nature?

“In my submission there’s doubt in relation to that and the correct verdict would be ‘not guilty’.”

But jurors took four hours to unanimously convict Phipps of the offence on Wednesday, November 18.

He was jailed for five months. In addition, he was ordered to sign the Sex Offenders Register for the next seven years.

He has been known to the court for the past 20 years. He is certainly not proud of that