Former Airport Worker Sentenced for Preying on Schoolgirls
A former Gatwick Airport kitchen worker has been sentenced to four years in prison for sexually assaulting three vulnerable schoolgirls near Clapham Common. John Nyhan, 22, deliberately targeted lone victims as they walked home from school between January 8 and February 4 this year.
Pattern of Sexual Violence Against Young Victims
The court heard how Nyhan's campaign of abuse began when he spotted his first intended victim, a 13-year-old girl, on a residential street. Fortunately, she reached her home before he could attack. However, minutes later he pounced on a 14-year-old girl, putting his hand up her skirt before running away, leaving her scared and upset according to prosecutors.
Nyhan continued his attacks on two more occasions, assaulting girls aged 15 and 14 on January 23 and February 4. The Times reported that he lifted each of their skirts from behind in similar attacks. Shockingly, the court was told that Nyhan had admitted to other sexual attacks on women in the Clapham Common area.
Deliberate Targeting and Lasting Impact
Prosecutor George Crivelli revealed that Nyhan had specifically researched the coming-out time for an all-girls school in Wimbledon and deliberately targeted vulnerable victims. The defendant admitted being attracted to women in sports clothing initially, before progressing to younger girls in school uniforms.
Sentencing Nyhan, Judge Georgina Kent stated he had caused very serious psychological harm to all his victims and emphasised that the girls should have felt safe walking home from school. She added the offending would have a lasting impact on their sense of security.
The emotional toll was evident in victim statements, with one girl now carrying a rape alarm and another describing the experience of having her body invaded. The mother of another victim said her daughter felt her childhood was over and now talks about wanting to disappear, dressing like a construction worker to hide her body.
Nyhan, who appeared in a grey prison tracksuit with his brother and aunt in the public gallery, admitted three sexual assaults and one charge of harassment. He must serve at least two-thirds of his four-year custody term plus an additional year on licence, and is now subject to a 10-year sexual harm prevention order.
