Ex-Army sergeant major avoids prison over ‘terrifying sex attack’ on 14-year-old schoolgirl

Victim 'fears she will never recover', court hears

Jonathan Sword was given a 20-month sentence suspended for two years and ordered to complete 150 hours of unpaid work (SWNS)

An ex-Army sergeant major who carried out a “terrifying” sex attack on a 14-year-old girl has avoided prison.

Jonathan Sword, 55, molested the girl after pulling down her tights and pushing her onto a table.

The former soldier and children’s party company owner thrust his groin towards the victim in an assault which she “fears she will never recover from”.

He then told the girl, who cannot be named, not to tell her mother.

In a victim impact statement, the teenager said the incident had affected her trust and capacity for intimacy and she was “no longer as outgoing”.

Sword denied a charge of sexual assault but was found guilty by a majority verdict at Worcester Crown Court.

Prosecutor Daniel White said the assault happened between the end of 2010 and the beginning of 2011.

He told the court: “She was pushed onto a table. He pulled down her tights or leggings and thrust his groin area towards her groin area.”

The attack lasted three seconds and later he followed her and told her not to tell her mother, he said.

He added: “This was an aggravating feature. It has affected her so deeply she feels she will never recover.”

Despite having previous convictions for downloading indecent images of children and possessing extreme pornography, he was spared prison.

The court heard Sword had shown remorse and had an “exemplary military record”, having reached the rank of sergeant major with the Royal Armoured Corps.

Sentencing, Judge Nicholas Cole said the victim was “was naturally terrified”, before handing him a 20-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, and ordering him to complete 150 hours of unpaid work.

Sword was also given 30 rehabilitation activity days and told to pay a contribution towards costs of £1,000.

Sword, of Halesowen, West Midlands, was the manager of a Scalextric circuit attraction providing entertainment for children’s parties and also worked at a funeral parlour.

The court heard during his time as a mortuary worker concerns were raised about his behaviour and his laptop was seized by police.

Officers discovered a collection of 252 indecent images and 59 videos, some at category A (the most serious level).

The videos showed a sex act being performed on a dead body in a mortuary and images of a female being tortured and raped.

It was a report of this case in a local newspaper that persuaded the complainant in the sexual assault to come forward.

Mr White said the officer who had to view the material described it as “a very disturbing collection indeed”.

He was convicted of six counts of making indecent images of children and two of possessing extreme pornography between 15 December 2012 and 25 May 2016.

The sexual assault happened before these offences so the judge could not activate the 16-month sentence suspended for two years, which was imposed in October 2016.

Charley Pattison, defending, said: “His remorse is born of the effects and consequences his actions have had. I would advance on his behalf remorse as a mitigating factor.”

She said Sword had been in contact with the Lucy Faithfull Foundation and had been identified as being at a low risk of reoffending.

She revealed her client suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder and had the support of his partner and son.

SWNS