A paedophile, Richard Mills, has been incarcerated following the sexual assault of a girl within a business in Colchester.
On Saturday, 28 October, three girls were shopping in Culver Square when Richard Mills approached one of them.
Richard Mills, 39, subsequently sexually abused her and promptly exited the store.
The three girls promptly notified the security personnel at the store, who were able to distinctly ascertain the incident from CCTV footage and the man’s subsequent actions.
A static photograph of the suspect was subsequently transmitted to a specialised unit of officers focused on managing sexual offenders, leading to the identification of the individual as Mills, who was soon apprehended.
During the police interview, Richard Mills of Winnock Road, Colchester, promptly confessed to doing the conduct and was charged with sexual assault by touching.
He attended Colchester Magistrates’ Court on 14 October and acknowledged the charge.
Richard Mills was remanded in jail and sentenced to 16 months in prison at Ipswich Crown Court on Thursday, December 12.
Upon his release from jail, he will be subject to stringent oversight by our management of sexual and violent offenders team (MOSOVO).
Detective Constable Mark Harrington said:
“Richard Mills’ extremely concerning behaviour will not be tolerated. These young girls – and specifically the victim – should be able to go shopping on a Saturday afternoon in safety.
“I am encouraged by the sentence given to Richard Mills and I’ll be very blunt about this – he will be monitored incredibly closely when he is released from prison back into the community.
“I truly hope this conviction and sentence helps this young girl, her friends and of course her family to move forward.”
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