Father Jailed for Having Sex with School Girl in New Forest Car Park

A Hampshire father has been jailed for having sex with a school girl after driving her to a secluded New Forest car park.

Stephen Nicholson, a former bus driver who transported students from a school in the Test Valley area ten years ago, began building rapport with a number of female students.

Southampton Crown Court heard how Nicholson exchanged messages with one pupil, which quickly escalated into flirting. On an afternoon in the summer of 2008, Nicholson, then 27, picked up the student in his car and took her to a secluded car park in Minstead, where they engaged in consensual sex.

He then dropped her off at her usual address, making it appear as if she had taken the bus as usual.

Nicholson denied three counts of sexual activity with a child but was found guilty by a jury after a trial.

Nicholson, of Woodland Close, Southampton, had worked as a school bus driver, transporting students home across the county.

Prosecuting, Unyime Davies told the court that the girl, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, "didn't know how to handle the attention from an older man." She said: "Mr Nicholson, in a position of trust, began to build a rapport with a group of girls. This quickly turned to flirting with one student, and a number of messages were sent. Some of these were recovered from an old SIM card of the victim."

"On one afternoon, Mr Nicholson then arranged to pick her up in his car and drove to a secluded car park in Minstead where the two engaged in sexual activities. There was also grooming against the victim before the offences. Significant planning was also needed to establish how much time the defendant would have before the bus reached the victim's home."

Defending Nicholson, barrister Sarah Jones told the court that the now 37-year-old has built a family and a new life in the ten years since the offences took place. She said: "The life of Mr Nicholson's wife and family is now going to come crumbling down. One of the hardest things for them is to not be able to tell their children, who are aged two, five and seven, when their father is going to be coming home."

Presiding, Judge Peter Henry said that had Nicholson pleaded guilty, he would have received a shorter sentence. He said: "It's a great shame you did not plead guilty to these matters, particularly after the messages were recovered. I agree that there was planning involved in this, and for that I am sentencing you to four years and three months to be served concurrently."

Additional Information:

• Nicholson is considered a danger to women and a highly manipulative individual.
• He preys on naivety and innocence.
• Nicholson previously pretended to be an ex-Royal Marine.
• He also worked for the RNLI in Poole, Dorset, using false paperwork.