2015: MAN JAILED FOLLOWING SEXUAL ASSAULT ON BISHOP'S MEADOW
A 21-YEAR-OLD man who sexually assaulted a drunk woman on the Bishop’s Meadow in Hereford has been sentenced to five years in prison.Johnathan Lewis, of Widemarsh Street, Hereford, was found guilty by a jury of sexual assault by penetration.
The court heard he was walking through the city centre in the early hours of July 18, 2014, when he saw a lone, drunk woman.
Hereford Crown Court heard last Thursday that he took her to Bishop’s Meadow before sexually assaulting her.
The court heard Lewis had a string of offences, although no previous sexual offences.
On the day of the assault he was sentenced at Hereford Magistrates Court for a different offence – battery – and received a community order.
The court was told that on November 14 he was sentenced for various offences which led to detention at a young offenders institute for 20 weeks.
And at last week’s hearing, he was also sentenced for theft and affray, which took place on October 26, 2014, and which he had earlier admitted.
The court heard Lewis went into Redhill Stores in Mayberry Avenue, Hereford, and stole a bottle of wine and a bottle of cider.
He was then walking along the Great Western Way with two other men when one of them became involved in a fight over a disagreement about DVDs.
They rolled around on the floor before Lewis smashed a bottle and ran at one of the men aggressively, before throwing the bottle at his leg.
Ben Close, defending, said in mitigation that a psychiatric report showed Lewis scored highly in relation to ADHD tests and had a mild learning disability.
The report also said Lewis had “mild retardation” understanding social norms, especially relationships and sexuality.
The Judge Toby Hooper said the sexual assault victim was drunk and unable to protect herself.
Lewis was sentenced to five years in prison for assault by penetration, two months for theft, and six months for affray, to run consecutively.
He has been put on the sex offenders register for 10 years.
