Worthing man found guilty of sexual assault

The verdict was announced on Wednesday, April 11, on the afternoon of the second day of a re-trial, at Chichester Crown Court.

Hogbin, 51, of Harrison Road, Worthing, was charged with three counts of indecently assaulting the girl, between April 23, 1999, and April 24, 2002.

On Tuesday, April 10 a jury at Chichester Crown Court heard the girl, from Worthing, did not report the assaults until August, 2005, when she confided in her then boyfriend.

Giving evidence via video-link, the girl, now 15, said she did not tell anyone at the time of the abuse because she was "embarrassed" and "hoped it would all go away".

The court was also played a taped interview the girl gave to police in August, 2005, in which she visibly struggled to fight back tears when recounting her ordeal.

The jury heard Hogbin, a senior trampolining coach who worked throughout Sussex, met the girl when she started having lessons with him in 1996.

He became friends with her family, none of whom can be named for legal reasons, and was a regular visitor at their Worthing home.

Hogbin, however, strongly denied the allegations, repeatedly answering "I did not do that" to Miss Campbell's questions.

The jury heard this was the second time the case had been before the court, after a jury in September, 2006, failed to return a verdict for "administrative reasons".

Judge John Sessions delayed sentencing Hogbin until further reports had been made.

For more on this story and continuing coverage, see the Worthing Herald.

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