Bury: Man abuses woman he asked for help

The woman had no idea that 40-year-old Grant Percival was a repeat offender whose criminal record includes assault and several sex crimes, including sexual battery and sexual assault of a child.

Percival, who recently moved to Bury, admitted sexually touching the 20-year-old woman in Kendal on June 19.

Prosecutor Brendan Burke gave evidence at Carlisle Crown Court and said the victim was walking along Burneside Road in Kendal at 11.30pm when she saw a man – the defendant – stumble towards her who was obviously drunk.

“He approached her and asked her where the best place was for him to kill himself,” Mr Burke said. The woman’s demeanor throughout the encounter was one of concern for the defendant’s welfare. Percival began to tell the woman a series of lies.

He claimed his 18-month-old daughter had died and asked the woman if she had ever lost anyone or if she had “had her heart broken.”

Mr Burke said: “She decided to stay with him because she was afraid he would commit suicide.”

“She tried to persuade him to go to the police station… He said he didn’t want to go to the police station because he had family nearby.”

Former Carslisle man Percival kept stepping out into the road in front of cars and the woman tried to stop him. Mr Burke continued: “He started hugging her and she didn’t take it in a sexual way; she let him do it because he was in distress.”

“Then he kissed her on the head, which the woman definitely did not want. He told her she was beautiful and asked if she could go home with him, but just to cuddle, nothing sexual.”

At this point, the court heard, the woman was concerned about herself. Percival repeatedly asked the woman for her phone number and as she was leaving, he tried to kiss her hand even though it was covered by her coat.

Mr Burke described the defendant’s criminal past, which included 24 previous offences.

These include a misdemeanor, malicious communication, assault and, more relevantly, sexual assault in 2003, sexual assault of a child the following year, sexual assault in 2011 and 2012, and a grooming offense in 2018.

There were also various violations of the defendant’s order to prevent sexual violence.

Defence lawyer Gerard Rogerson said Percival had been in a good mood at the start of the evening but his mood changed when he drank alcohol and was made worse by living in a tent.

“He denies that he was actually suicidal,” the lawyer said.

The sexual assault consisted of the defendant kissing the woman on the head and attempting to kiss her hand. This did not appear to faze the victim, although the incident was both disturbing and uncomfortable.

The offense is on the lower end of the severity scale, Rogerson said.

Percival stressed that he had not received any help since his release from his last prison sentence. When asked what he wanted to change about himself, he told a probation officer that his problem was alcohol.

“He describes himself as a registered alcoholic,” Mr Rogerson said.

The defendant believed that with the right support, he could get his drinking problem under control and lead a more productive life. The lawyer added: “He is willing to do whatever it takes to turn his life around.”

Judge Michael Fanning said Percival had been classified as a dangerous offender in the past because of his attacks on young women. Although it initially appeared he only wanted comfort and help before the crime, it soon became clear he wanted “more than that”, the judge said.

“For you, a 40-year-old man, to approach a 20-year-old woman … that is downright sinister and, in your case, even more sinister given your long history of sexual assault,” the judge continued.

But Judge Fanning acknowledged that the severity of the defendant’s offence had diminished. He sentenced Percival to eight months in prison.

The judge also imposed an updated sexual violence prevention order, which prohibits Percival from having contact with women he does not know or “invading their privacy” in all cases except those that are “objectively” determined to be genuine emergencies.

Percival, who was last known to live in Walmersley Road, Bury, will remain on the sex offenders’ register indefinitely.