A St Leonards man who a videoed himself sexually assaulting a woman – then shared it with friends – has been jailed.

Mark Stevens abused his victim, who is known to him, while she was naked and either asleep or unconscious at her home in Rye on the evening of October 3rd, 2018.

He used his mobile phone to record his exploits and sent the footage to a number of contacts. However, it was more than two months later before the woman became aware of this. She subsequently reported it to police and Stevens was arrested soon after.

Stevens, 34, a warehouse worker, of Paxhill Close, St Leonards, was charged with sexual assault, sexual assault by penetration and publishing an obscene article.

He pleaded guilty to all three offences, and at Lewes Crown Court yesterday (August 5th) and was sentenced to three years and nine months’ imprisonment. He was also placed on the Sex Offenders Register for ten years.

Detective Constable Rebecca Dixon, of the Hastings Safeguarding Investigation Unit, said: “This was a long and complex investigation into a serious sexual offence which has caused the victim a tremendous amount of distress and anxiety.

“No one should ever have to endure what she did, and she should be commended for her courage in coming forward to police and reporting this incident at the earliest opportunity.

“The sentence imposed demonstrates that we take reports of sexual offences extremely seriously and will deal robustly with offenders.”

If you or someone you know has been the victim of a sexual offence, you can report it to us in confidence online or by calling 101.

You can also contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or report it online. www.crimestoppers-uk.org