“What Ashley has done to me has broken me and taken away my dignity”
A 23-year-old who sexually assaulted three children has escaped jail time because of his ‘troubled upbringing’.
Ashley Smith was handed a 20-month suspended sentence after he was found guilty of molesting three victims.
One described to the court how she ‘still can’t drink dairy products’ because Smith ‘smelled like milk’ on the day he assaulted her.
The defendant was aged between 13 to 17 at the time he committed the crimes, the court heard. He was found guilty of eight sexual offences at Minshull Street Crown Court on Friday, March 21.
One victim, who bravely testified against Smith, wrote in a statement that was read out in court: “He knew what he had done was wrong and threatened me not to tell my mum.
“He tried to force his tongue down my throat and I did not like that. Because of his cleanliness issues, he had faeces under his fingernails when he touched me, which I found horrible and disgusting.“He used to drink a lot of milky tea, so he smelled like milk when he touched me and to this day I get flashbacks whenever I smell milky products.”Another directed a message directly at the defendant saying: “What Ashley has done to me has broken me and taken away my dignity.“Ashley, I want you to know: in no circumstance is it alright to touch people without their permission. I want you to know the pain this has caused.”Smith was handed a suspended sentence, along with 30 days of rehabilitation, 280 hours of unpaid work and restraining orders towards all three girls. While considering the sentence, Judge Mark Savill said he had to take into consideration that Smith himself was ‘extremely vulnerable’ at the time of the crimes and had ‘psychological and psychiatric problems’.Judge Savill said: “He has had an extremely traumatic upbringing to the extent of being placed into care at a young age. The impact of that has taken its toll on Mr Smith. The problems he had at the time of the offences, his developmental stagnation as a child, has led in part to his behaviour.”But after explaining the sentence, he added: “If you don’t comply, we’ll see you again and send you to prison for up to 20 months.”Smith, of Sidney Street, Manchester, appeared in the docks wearing a grey and black hoodie and cried as the sentencing began. His hearing was delayed by six years, first as a result of the Covid pandemic, then because of a ‘not guilty’ plea, which he later changed to guilty.