Man assaulted sex worker, her escort, and a police officer

Gary Race Gosling of Poppy Drive, Coningsby, was appearing for sentence at Boston Magistrates’ Court yesterday (Wednesday) on what was described as a ‘catalogue of offences’ between May and September this year.

Prosecuting, Nick Todd said that on May 22, Gosling had been found in possession of a small knife after he was arrested on another matter.

He said that on July 9, Gosling was found outside his home, drunk and threatening his neighbours and had to be arrested after attempts by police to placate him failed.

On two occasions on July 23, and again on July 24 and August 12, Gosling went into the Co-op food store in Silver Street in Coningsby in contravention of a criminal behaviour order which had been taken out in June 2018 ordering him not to go into any Co-op store in the county.

Then, Mr Todd said, on September 26 Gosling requested the services of an ‘escort’ from an agency in Peterborough and when the woman went to his address in Coningsby, there was a dispute about money.

After she went outside his home to speak to her escort, Gosling followed and assaulted her during which an earring was ripped from her ear. He also assaulted her escort and then a police officer who attended the incident.

Mitigating, Beris Brickles said that Gosling - who he described as a ‘troubled young man’ for whom there had never been a property community programme to deal with his issues - was now seeing both the psychiatric and probation services.

He said that when he was arrested for possession of a knife, he had just been assaulted and had run home and got a kitchen knife for protection before going somewhere safe, as he thought his assailants would come to his home.

Mr Brickles said that although Gosling had gone into the Co-op contrary to the order, he had not caused any commotion or stolen anything and had left when asked to do so by staff.

He said that when Gosling called for the services of the escort agency, he fully intended to pay but realised when the woman arrived that he could not afford to pay for her services.

He said Gosling had ‘long standing mental health issues’ but now had a roof over his head and a hope of some rehabilitation.

District Judge Peter Veits, after reading psychiatric and probation reports, told Gosling that he had to take account of the protection of the public but also had a responsibility towards him and his circumstances.

“Quite frankly you have been let down by the mental health services,” he told him.

“You have fallen though the cracks and that’s part of the reason you are here.”

Gosling sobbed as Judge Veits told him he was sentencing him to six months in prison but that it would be suspended for two years and warned him that if he breached any of the rules, he would not hesitate to send him to prison straight away.

He was also ordered to undergo 30 rehabilitation days with the probation services and to undergo alcohol treatment.

Judge Veits also ordered a criminal behaviour order to prevent Gosling entering Co-op stores in Coningsby and Horncastle for the next three years and banned him from having unsealed alcoholic drinks in public.

He was also ordered to pay £175 in court costs and charges.