Former Scarborough driving instructor gets suspended jail sentence for sexually harassing young woman

Gavin Barker, 59, made repeated “inappropriate” comments to the young woman, showed her a naked picture of himself and showered her with compliments about her figure, Scarborough Magistrates’ Court heard.

He also bragged to the victim that he would walk around his garden naked and “didn’t care if his neighbours saw him”.

Prosecutor Martin Butterworth said the victim, who can’t be named for legal reasons, initially trusted and confided in Barker.

But then things started to change when Barker said that the boy with whom she was about to enter a relationship wasn’t good enough for her, telling her: “You could get way better than that.”

Barker told her that the boy “probably only wanted to get with (her) because (she) was really pretty”.

On one occasion, Barker, who ran Gav’s School of Motoring in Scarborough, told her: “You do have a nice figure, don’t you?”

He then asked her if she had been “talking to any lads”.

When she said that she was in a new relationship, Barker told her she deserved better and that she “deserved someone kind and supportive”.

He then suggested she “wear less clothes” because of the warm weather which made her feel “uncomfortable”.

Barker, a former soldier with a distinguished military record, then suggested they play sexual-related “forfeit” games which he said he had done in the past.

The victim said this left her “speechless”.

On another occasion, he “shared sex stories” with her, said he liked to watch pornography and asked her if she liked it.

“He said he walked around his garden naked and didn’t care if his neighbours saw him,” added Mr Butterworth.

On another occasion, Barker asked her if she had “ever taken any inappropriate pictures of yourself and sent them to anyone”.

He then got out his phone and showed her a naked photo of himself from his “private album”.

“She said she was in shock, distressed and (felt) unsafe,” said Mr Butterworth.

“She was disgusted, left speechless.”

The victim said she “always felt worried about seeing (Barker) out and about in Scarborough”.

She said she didn’t go out as much any more and Barker’s behaviour had affected her trust in people, particularly men.

She said that before the harassment campaign she was a happy and sociable young woman, but now felt uncomfortable among people she didn’t know.

She had since had a “dip in my mental health” and had suffered from anxiety.

Barker, of Castle Road, Scarborough, was brought in for questioning late last year and initially denied the offences.

Although he admitted showing the victim a picture of himself with his private parts exposed, he claimed he had “accidentally swiped it”, adding that he had nude photos of “other ladies from Facebook” on his phone.

He was charged with two counts of harassment and a related public-order offence, namely “using threatening or insulting words or behaviour”.

He admitted all the offences when the case first reached court.

He appeared for sentence knowing his liberty was at stake.

Mr Butterworth said that during the police investigation into Barker’s behaviour towards the victim, it transpired that other women had made complaints about him, although he wasn’t charged with any other offences and the allegations had never been proven.

However, Mr Butterworth said there were witness statements which suggested that the teenager in Scarborough “wasn’t the only victim” of Barker’s seedy behaviour.

He said that Barker had lost his driving instructor’s licence due to his behaviour and was now out of work.

Nick Tubbs, for Barker, said his client had since shut down his driving school which he had been running for about 18 years.

“By virtue of his own behaviour, he has had a spectacular fall,” added Mr Tubbs.

Barker was “truly sorry” for his behaviour which had cost him his business and the relationship with his former partner.

“His dealings with his extended family…are going to be extremely difficult,” said Mr Tubbs.

Before setting up his business in 2005, Barker had served in the army for up to 20 years during which he displayed “exemplary conduct” and was deployed in active service overseas which left him “mentally scarred” due to “traumatic events” he had witnessed.

He was now getting help from the Ellis Centre in Scarborough, which provides psychiatric help to people with mental-health issues, and Operation Nova, a charity for armed-forces personnel.

Magistrates’ bench chair Mrs M Scott told Barker: “There is no doubt that grooming activities do amount to activity deserving of custody.”

However, she said the jail sentence could be suspended because of Barker’s lack of previous convictions, his good work ethic and the fact he had served his country.

For those reasons, the 12-week prison sentence was suspended for 18 months.

Barker was ordered to carry out 100 hours of unpaid work and complete 25 rehabilitation-activity days.

He was made to pay the victim £500 compensation “for the distress she has experienced”, along with £85 costs and a £154 surcharge to fund victim services.

He was made subject to a 10-year sexual-harm-prevention order due to the nature of the harassment and the fact that others had made complaints, albeit unproven.

The order prohibits Barker from living or staying in any household with any female under 18 years of age without the approval of their parent or guardian, and bans him from having any unsupervised, advertent contact with any female under 18 without the same safeguards.

Barker was also slapped with a three-year restraining order banning him from contacting the victim and going to her address.