A 48-year-old man has been spared jail after he admitted sexually assaulting a very young girl.

Jonathan Vickers, from Tockwith, appeared for sentence at York Crown Court yesterday (April 7) after he pleaded guilty to one count of sexually assaulting a child under 13 years of age.

Vickers, a former pub barman and cleaner, entered his guilty plea on the day he was due to face trial after the victim had already given evidence by way of pre-recorded cross examination.

The young victim said that Vickers had taken his trousers off and exposed his private parts moments before the sexual assault by way of touching.

He was arrested in the summer of 2023 following the sexual assault at a property in the village but denied the offence.

The court heard that Vickers, of Bramblegate Road, had previous convictions for driving matters but nothing sexual-related.

Defence barrister Andrew Stranex said that Vickers had an alcohol problem but was now “motivated to address the difficulties that he has”.

Judge Simon Hickey said that despite the seriousness of the offence, he could suspend the inevitable jail sentence because Vickers had shown some “insight” into his offending and partly due to the delay in the case reaching court.

He said that if Vickers had been jailed, he would have spent less than half of that sentence behind bars which meant that he would be “out (of jail) without any, or little, supervision”.

Vickers was given a 15-month jail sentence suspended for 18 months. As part of that sentence, he must complete 20 rehabilitation-activity days and a six-month alcohol-treatment programme.

He was ordered to sign on the sex-offenders’ register for 10 years and made subject to a 15-year sexual-harm prevention order to limit his contact with children.