A PERVERT who sexually assaulted a young girl on two occasions has been jailed for six years.

Stephen Johns targeted the victim and took advantage of her while he was heavily intoxicated, Teesside Crown Court heard.

The 46-year-old also had a collection of extreme pornography videos stored on his phone, which was discovered by police following his arrest.

Shaun Dodds, prosecuting, said Johns attacked the victim when he pulled her to the floor while he was messing around while drunk.

The horseplay quickly took a sinister turn when the defendant carried out a serious sexual assault on the terrified teenager as he laid on top of her.

The Northern Echo: Stephen JohnsStephen Johns

Mr Dodds said: "He was giving her Jack Daniels whiskey and coke to drink but it was strong, so just took a sip and put it to one side, the defendant was drunk and had been drinking lager all night.

"He took a babies dummy in his mouth – messing about – and when she tried to take it out of his mouth, he grabbed her ankles and pulled her to the floor.

"He then got on top of her and she says she froze in fear."

The court heard how the assault happened in December 2019.

The victim told police about a previous incident when the defendant carried out a sexual assault when he thought she was asleep.

Johns, of Kingfisher Drive, Guisborough, pleaded guilty to sexual assault by penetration, sexual assault and possession of extreme pornography.

Shaun Dryden, in mitigation, said his client accepts full responsibility for what happened and he had lost everything as a result of his 'disgraceful' behaviour.

He said: "He fully accepts that he behaved as she described but because of the condition he was over the course of that year due to his excessive drinking, he simply can't recollect what happened but it is accepted by him in full."

Judge Recorder Jamie Hill QC described Johns' actions as 'unfathomable' as he jailed him for six years.

He added: "You have lost your job, your reputation, your family, your home but of course that is all your fault.

"I take the view that the victim was particularly vulnerable, with regard to these offences, and you abused her trust, not once but twice, while you were under the influence of alcohol – which people need to understand isn't mitigation or an excuse but an aggravating factor."