An Orpington teenager, Brian Jasper Cole, has been handed a suspended sentence for sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl in an alleyway and threatening her with a knife. The incident occurred in December 2020 when Cole, then 16, assaulted a girl in Forest Hill during his birthday celebration.
The Incident
Brian Jasper Cole, of Meath Close in Orpington, forcibly put his hands down the girl’s trousers in an alleyway. When she bravely resisted, Cole put her in a headlock and threatened her with a knife. Despite the threat, she continued to fight back until Cole released her and walked away as if nothing had happened, a court heard.
Court Proceedings
On Friday, May 24, Cole, now 19, received a suspended sentence due to his age at the time of the incident and the time elapsed since the offence. He had been remanded in prison for other unrelated offences but will now be released.
Prosecution’s Case
Prosecutor Frida Hussain KC described the assault, detailing how Cole dragged the victim into an alleyway by her hair and made inappropriate sexual advances. When she resisted, he threatened her with a knife and grabbed her in a headlock. The victim reported the assault to the police six months later but withdrew her support for the prosecution, feeling unsupported by the authorities. In 2023, she was approached by a new officer following Cole’s arrest in connection with another rape case, for which he was acquitted.
Cole was found guilty of sexual assault and threatening a person with a blade but was cleared of two additional counts of sexual assault and one count of assault.
Victim’s Impact Statement
In her impact statement, read in court by Ms Hussain, the victim recounted the ongoing trauma caused by the assault. I have often had sleepless nights when the incident first occurred,” she said. “I am in constant fear that it will happen again. I always live in fear that I will see him again while I’m on my way to work.” She described how the assault had ruined her social life, leading her to isolate herself and struggle with trust issues. Four years on since this happened and I feel that I’m living the same nightmare,” she added.
Sentencing Remarks
Judge Jonathan Mann KC, sentencing Cole at Woolwich Crown Court, emphasized the seriousness of Cole’s actions. “This isn’t the first time I’ve had to sentence you, and I’m going to make this observation. You seem to continually scrape very close to committing very serious offences. You are not young anymore. You are a grown man.”
Judge Mann highlighted Cole’s history, including involvement in an incident where shots were fired and a rape case for which he was acquitted. “It suggests a very dangerous pattern in which you thought you could do whatever you want and get away with it,” he noted.
Cole, who has spent 14 months in custody for other offences, was sentenced to 15 months in custody, suspended for two years. He will be required to complete a programme requirement, rehabilitation activity, and 80 hours of unpaid work.
Judge’s Explanation
“In case anyone is wondering why I’m passing this sentence, it is because the offence is old, his age at the time of the offence and that he has no history of similar offending,” Judge Mann explained. “I must direct my mind towards rehabilitation, given he has spent so much time in custody, he is going to have to settle back in the community.”
Cole will now have the opportunity to reintegrate into society under strict conditions, with the hope that he will change his ways and avoid further criminal behaviour.
