[A] MAN is facing an “inevitable” jail sentence after being found guilty of sexually abusing a young girl.
Robert Ferguson, 60, went on trial at Carlisle Crown Court earlier this week.
He had denied a charge of causing or inciting a child aged under 13 to engage in sexual activity, on a date before June 19 in 2015.
But after hearing all evidence in the case, a jury today (WED) found Ferguson guilty on a majority verdict.
During the trial, jurors heard the girl said that Ferguson had asked her to keep his criminal conduct “secret”. Officers had initially been informed about his illegal activity amid concern over a picture the youngster had drawn.
Upon hearing the jury’s verdict, Judge Peter Hughes QC adjourned sentence to June 20 and remanded Ferguson, of Warwick Road, Carlisle, in custody.
Judge Hughes told him the sentence he would pass next month “must inevitably be a custodial one”.
