Scarborough chef gets suspended sentence for string of sexual assaults on five young women

Michael Squires, from Scarborough, pleaded guilty to five counts of sexual assault and appeared for sentence at York Crown Court on Friday, April 26.

He initially denied the offences but changed his pleas four days before a trial was due to be held in March.

Prosecutor Robert Mochrie said that Squires, of Scalby Road, would kiss, hug and cuddle the victims before sexually assaulting them in separate incidents.

Some of the victims, none of whom can be named for legal reasons, were “grabbed” or touched on intimate areas of their body.

At least two of the victims were teenagers.

Squires, a father-of-one originally from South Africa, sent one of the victims a text message saying: “I hope I don’t have to punish you.”

His barrister Claire Holmes said that Squires, who used to run his own gastro business, had never been in trouble before and was still working as a chef.

He was genuinely remorseful, had since taken steps to address his behaviour and had moved back in with his elderly parents to care for them.

Judge Simon Hickey described the series of sexual assaults as “revolting”.

He told Squires: “You were an adult and (the victims) are all young females.

"You know how difficult it must have been to speak out when this was happening to them.”

He said there had been “at least 10 instances of what the public would call groping”.

He added, however, that Squires’s parents would suffer if he were jailed as he was their sole carer.

But he said the main reason he wouldn’t be sending Squires to jail was because, under current sentencing guidelines, he would be released in short order, which would have “very little impact other than the satisfaction of the victims seeing you go to prison”.

The judge said he believed that Squires had “learnt your lesson” and he would lose his job if were jailed.

Squires received a 10-month suspended prison sentence with 35 rehabilitation-activity days and 80 hours of unpaid work.

He was placed on the sex-offenders’ register for 10 years and ordered to pay each of the victims £300 compensation.

Other allegations, which Squires denied, were allowed to lie on court file.