The trauma of the woman after being groped by the drunk in the hospital

A court heard how a woman was left traumatized after being groped by a drunk at Leicester Royal Infirmary. The woman had been with her two-year-old daughter in the accident and emergency department when Jonathan Saunt sat down next to her and started trying to talk to her.

When she got up to leave, he put his hand on her thigh and squeezed her leg. She screamed in agony and Saunt, a 44-year-old unemployed mechanic with a history of alcohol problems, was expelled from the hospital and later arrested.

He pleaded not guilty to the offense and was due to stand trial at Leicester Magistrates’ Court in early April, but arrived at court drunk and was refused entry. A panel of magistrates found him guilty in absentia of sexual assault.

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He returned to court on Monday (May 18) for sentencing. Prosecutor Richard Holt read the woman’s victim impact statement in which she described feeling too scared to go out alone for long after the incident, which happened on Tuesday, May 23 last year.

She said: “After it happened I had a shower and I washed so hard I bled and bruised. I deep cleaned my daughter’s stroller because he touched that too.

“He also touched my daughter’s arm. I didn’t leave the house without someone with me after that.

“After a week I went back to work, but I had a panic attack. If I ever feel someone’s presence behind me, I get anxious. This incident scared me and made me intimidated by men.”

Mr Holt said: “This had a significant effect on the victim. Because he pleaded not guilty, the Crown was forced to call the victim and a nurse to the trial to give evidence.

“The victim had to relive this sexual assault, and a nurse had to take leave from work. On the date of the trial, he went drunk, so the charge was proved in his absence.”

Sajid Munir, representing Saunt, of Olympic Close, Glenfield, said his client had a serious drinking problem. He said his client entered rehab last June but got out and relapsed immediately.

Mr Munir said earlier this year Saunt was “forced” by doctors to spend time in rehab for medical reasons. He said Saunt’s wife has taken a second job to support him while he remains unable to work and receives benefits because of his alcoholism.

Mr Munir said the defendant could not believe he had committed the murder. He said: “He struggles to understand how he could be responsible for this – it’s so impersonal.”

Saunt was given a 24-month community order and bank president Jane Morton-Humphries told him it was enough punishment.

She said: “Alcohol is clearly a big problem in your life. A community order is not a soft option and the order will be a punishment because it will be hard on you.”

The community order will include a six-month alcohol treatment requirement and 40 days of work at probation-recommended programs. He was ordered to pay £600 in costs and a £114 victim surcharge. He will remain on the sex offenders register for the next seven years.