Sex assault victim Courtney Watkins attacked by paedophile when she was just 15 slams police and prosecutors for blunders that have seen him avoid jail after case took seven years to come to court

A judge has slammed the police and Crown Prosecution Service for failures that have allowed a paedophile who sexually assaulted a teenage girl to walk free from court.

Incompetence by both was behind ‘extraordinary’ delays which meant it took seven years to bring the case to court.

The victim Courtney Watkins was 15 when she was assaulted in her own home by family friend Kurt Hallimond, then 22.

By the time Hallimond was found guilty of the sex crime by a jury at Newcastle Crown Court his victim – who has waived her right to anonymity – had grown up to be a 22-year-old mother-of-three.

Passing sentence on Wednesday at Newcastle Crown Court, Judge Amanda Rippon said Hallimond would have been sent to jail for 18 months had he been put on trial when he should have been.

She said the police and CPS ‘let down’ the victim and her family ‘dreadfully’, but the ‘outrageous delay’ persuaded the judge to instead give Hallimond a 14-month suspended sentence.

He will also have to do 150 hours unpaid work.

Judge Rippon told Hallimond: ‘You are entitled to significant reduction because of this egregious, unexplained, outrageous delay.

‘I take a wholly exceptional course in what I consider to be the most exceptional delay.’

The judge said: ‘I have never seen delay like this. I cannot bring to mind a case in which there has been delay of this type.’

Adding the delay had added to the victim’s suffering.

‘There has been a complete failure by the police to progress the case properly and failure by the CPS to ensure it proceeded as it should have,’ the judge said.

Hallimond was drinking at the schoolgirl’s home in August 2016 and assaulted her in the kitchen after her parent went to bed.

She told her mother about the incident weeks later and it was then reported to police.

Delay after delay followed.

The court heard the setbacks were caused by problems with the CPS receiving evidence from the police, difficulties downloading the video of the victim’s interview, the police officer in charge of the case going off sick, being charged with fraud and eventually resigning. Another police officer took over before retiring a year later. While the pandemic added further to the delays.

Ms Watkins, of Hebburn, South Tyneside, said after the hearing: ‘In my eyes, he has won because he has walked free. Because of the inadequacies of the police, he has got away with it.

‘It was the police that messed everything up. It is shocking, this is why victims do not come forward.

‘He will never have to face a prison cell, but I am in a mental prison cell every day after what he did to me.

‘He’s probably celebrating and having a party now. I had this hanging over me for seven years. It absolutely ruined my self-esteem and mental health.

‘The hardest part is that I thought I would be able to move on after he went to prison, but he didn’t.’

Commenting on the delays, she said she police responded to her repeated phone calls by saying the CPS had not authorised charges. Then in 2021 when she contacted the CPS herself she was told a charge had been authorised a year earlier.

‘The police and the CPS need to do more for victims,’ she said.

The court heard Hallimond, 29, of Jarrow, South Tyneside, had grown into a supportive partner, become a father and achieved a good work record.

Hallimond, who has a series of health problems, handed in character references and has been in no trouble before or since.

A Northumbria Police spokesman said: ‘Firstly, we apologise for the length of time it has taken for the victim in this case to receive justice.

‘The delays as outlined by the judge are unacceptable and we are disappointed it has taken this long.

‘We always endeavour to bring cases to court as timely as possible and for a number of reasons that has clearly not happened on this occasion.

‘We will review the case and where those factors fall within the control of police, we will ensure learning is taken forward.’

The CPS have been contacted for comment.