A RETIRED paramedic from Bere Alston has been convicted of sexually assaulting a girl in his car on moorland.

Trevor Paddon-Hall touched the youngster indecently while in his car in a dark lane, a jury at Plymouth Crown Court decided last Thursday.

The former charity worker was warned by a judge that he could be sent to prison.

Mr Paddon-Hall, aged 59, of Marythorne Road, Bere Alston, had denied sexually assaulting the girl as she sat in his front passenger seat in April 2008.

But the jury found him guilty after a four-day trial — a unanimous decision following four hours of deliberations.

Recorder Michael Vere-Hodge released him on bail pending probation and medical reports.

He told the smartly-dressed defendant: 'The decision to release you on bail means no more nor less than my mind is open. You should not think it does not mean that you will go to prison.'

The jury was shown a video recording of the victim telling police Mr Paddon-Hall was giving her a lift from Plymouth when he diverted down a dark lane.

He then indecently touched her in the front seat, the panel of seven women and five men decided.

Jason Beal, for the Crown Prosecution Service, revealed after the verdict that the young victim had suffered depression since the assault. He told the court that the prosecution was 'unusually tortuous'.

During the trial, Mr Paddon-Hall told the jury that he had not seen the youngster for months before the alleged attack, and he said he had been unable to drive at the time, because he had a cast on his arm from a fall about a month before the alleged assault.

Mr Beal said the victim did not immediately report the allegation to police and officers only became involved when a family friend shouted something at Mr Paddon-Hall in public towards the end of 2010, and he complained to police about the woman.

Mr Beal said the trial was listed twice before being cancelled and on the third occasion was stopped after two days in May — after the victim had given evidence.

The girl was cross-examined over a live video link before confusion arose over the date of the offence and the jury was discharged.

After the jury's decision, recorder Michael Vere-Hodge said: 'The message can go to her perfectly appropriately that the verdict is guilty and that means the jury has accepted her account. To that extent a major question in her mind has been resolved.'

Ali Rafati, for Mr Paddon-Hall, said he suffered from a number of medical ailments which needed to be considered in sentence.

The court heard he suffered from dropping syndrome which leads to sudden falls, angina and high blood pressure.

He will be sentenced on a date to be fixed around January 17.