A churchgoer who confessed to touching children for his pleasure has been jailed for three years for sexually abusing three young girls.
Timothy Thrasher, 39, a devout Christian who worshipped at a chapel in York, sexually assaulted the youngsters – one of whom was extremely young when she was first abused – in separate incidents over a period of years.
Thrasher, who was living in the Selby area at the time of his arrest last summer, also covertly recorded two other females doing private acts, York Crown Court heard.
Thrasher, formerly of Clay Lane, Breighton, was arrested in July 2023 after he told a church friend that he had sexually assaulted a young girl which gave him a “shock of erotic excitement”.
He ultimately admitted six counts of sexual assault, two counts of voyeurism and one count of attempting to operate equipment underneath the clothing of another person – an offence more commonly known as “upskirting”.
Prosecutor Katherine Robinson said that in July last year, one of Thrasher’s church friends contacted police to say that Thrasher had told him he had sexually assaulted a young girl.
“He described this as ‘like electricity going to his body’ but denied getting sexually aroused,” said Ms Robinson.
Thrasher, who was married, admitted that he had sexually assaulted the same teenage girl two years previously and three times in total.
“He said he felt shame and told God that he would not be happy again,” added Ms Robinson.
‘Took my innocence’
This wasn’t an end to the admissions of Thrasher, who worshipped at Calvary Chapel, a bible-teaching church on Barbican Road, York.
He told a probation officer about yet more sexual assaults on young girls and sent a “letter of confession” to the police and his church.
In that letter, he admitted sexually assaulting other young females including two other teenage girls between 2015 and 2020 by touching them on intimate areas, on one occasion while giving the girl a hug. One girl was sexually assaulted way back in 2006.
In his email confession, Thrasher also admitted trying to covertly film two females doing private acts such as getting changed. This happened some time between 2008 and 2012.
He tried to take an “upskirt” photo of another girl in 2020.
One of the victims, none of whom can be named for legal reasons, spoke of the “devastation” and “sheer mental toll” that Thrasher’s actions had had upon her which had left her an “emotional wreck”.
She said that Thrasher, who had moved to West Yorkshire since his arrest, had “taken my innocence, my ability to trust, my worth”.
‘Seriously traumatised’
The victim, now an adult, said she was “seriously traumatised” by the abuse. She had “regular” nightmares and panic attacks and was “living under constant distress”.
“I wanted to hide the fact I felt dirty and ashamed,” she added.
“Intrusive thoughts consumed me and left me terrified. I felt as if I had a lead weight in my chest which I couldn’t shift. The pain is still very much present. I feel like I’m paying for a crime I didn’t commit.”
She said that Thrasher, lately of Stile Common, Huddersfield, had left her with “years of pain”.
Thrasher’s solicitor advocate Kevin Blount said the disgraced churchman had no previous convictions and, unusually in such cases, had been condemned by his own admissions.
He said that all the sexual assaults were “touching over clothes” and that the attempt at “upskirting” was unsuccessful.
Mr Blount said that none of the victims was aware at the time that Thrasher was doing anything sexual, and the offences only came to light because of his confessions, before any evidence had been adduced.
“He clearly struggles with the inappropriate sexual impulses that he has and that is unlikely to go away without professional intervention,” added Mr Blount.
He said that Thrasher, who had been working on a building site in North Yorkshire before his arrest, would lose his job if he were jailed.
Judge Sean Morris said Thrasher’s offences had had a “devastating” effect on at least one of the victims.
He added: “An unusual feature of this case – and it’s almost unique in my experience – is that none of this would be here if it wasn’t for your confession and that is a remarkable feature of it.
“But doing this sort of thing to little children can have devastating consequences.”
Thrasher was jailed for three years but will only serve half of that behind bars before being released on prison licence.
He was also made subject to a 10-year sexual-harm-prevention order to limit his contact with children and ordered to sign on the sex offenders’ register for an indefinite period.