A MAN who sexually assaulted a 12-year-old girl in Bovington has been jailed for a year.

Andrew John Hunt, aged 46, appeared at Dorchester Crown Court to be sentenced after admitting two counts of sexual assault against the same young female victim between June 30 and November 1, 2009.

Clifford Grier, prosecuting, said the offences took place in Bovington and the first count related to Hunt ‘squeezing the girl’s bottom’.

He said the second charge related to a ‘course of conduct’ over a period of around three weeks during which Hunt repeatedly touched the young girl in a sexual manner.

Mr Grier said Hunt had ‘felt her breasts and put his hands down her pyjama trousers’.

He said the girl had been wearing underwear at the time and there had been no direct contact with her naked flesh.

Mr Grier said the young victim eventually told her mother and she confronted Hunt who denied the allegations and agreed to take a lie detector test in September last year.

Hunt, a married businessman, even offered to pay for the lie detector test himself.

Mr Grier said: “He said he would pay for it as he had nothing to hide.”

He was asked if he had inappropriately touched the girl’s backside and breasts and whether he had ever touched her for sexual purposes.

Mr Grier said: “To each question he replied ‘no’ and the test revealed otherwise.”

After taking the lie detector test Hunt then handed himself into police and made full admissions to what had taken place.

Robert Griffiths, mitigating, said Hunt, who gave his latest address to the court as North Street, Crewkerne, was previously a man of ‘impeccable’ good character who could not explain his sexual offending.

He said: “It is extremely difficult for the defendant to explain why he behaved in the way that he did – he simply doesn’t know.”

Mr Griffiths said Hunt now recognised what he did was wrong and wanted to be punished for his offending.

He said: “He has a desire very strongly within him to see himself punished.”

Judge Roger Jarvis told Hunt his behaviour would have a ‘long lasting’ and damaging impact on his victim.

He said: “It needs no imagination to realise that she will be completely bewildered and the damage that she would have suffered will be long lasting.”

Judge Jarvis sent Hunt to prison for 12 months and also placed him on the sex offenders’ register for a period of ten years.

Following the sentencing Detective Constable Michelle Underwood of the Weymouth child abuse investigation team said: “We would like to praise the victim for her strength and courage to come forward.

“In doing so her actions have protected others from being potential victims themselves.”

DC Underwood added that all victims of sexual or physical abuse are encouraged to contact her team in confidence on 01305 222777.