Prison warning for Rotherham man who assaulted schoolgirl

Robert Foster (27), of Princes Street, Rotherham, sexually assaulted the 15-year-old girl in September in Rotherham.

He was sentenced at Sheffield Crown Court last Friday after admitting to two counts of sexual assault.

Mr Richard Sheldon, prosecuting, told the court Foster had made inappropriate comments to the girl, before exposing himself to her and sexually assaulting her.

The girl said in a statement read out in court that before the incident she was “fun and outgoing” but now she felt isolated.

Ms Joy Merriam, mitigating, said Foster had never offended before and had shown remorse.

She said Foster had lost “everything” as a result of his “few moments of madness”.

Judge Jeremy Richardson, QC, said Foster deserved a prison sentence but, under the sentencing guidelines, he would only have been locked up for a matter of months.

“When you come out of prison there would be a limited level of supervision and all the problems you have would remain unaddressed,” he said.

The judge said he would be better dealt with by way of a lengthy community order, which would also be of greater protection to the public.

He handed Foster a 36-month community order which included a sex offender’s treatment programme, a 30-day rehabilitation activity requirement and a three-month curfew.

He was also ordered to sign the sex offenders’ register for seven years.

Addressing Foster, Judge Richardson said: “Can you imagine what a young girl, aged 15, in adolescence, with all the issues associated with adolescence, would have thought and felt when you, first of all, exposed your person to her in a vulgar and crude fashion?

“She recoiled, and instead of pulling away yourself and thinking: ‘What an idiot I have been’, you went on and groped her.

“Your conduct was disgusting and you should be comprehensively ashamed of yourself in doing such a thing to an adolescent girl.”

The judge warned Foster that if he breached his community order he would be sent straight to prison.

Judge Richardson added: “Don’t ever behave in such a filthy way again.”