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Award-winning judo coach spared jail after being convicted of sexual assault

Christopher Woodhouse

Today at 08:30

An award-winning judo coach has avoided jail after being convicted of sexual assault.

Mark Spence was sentenced to community service and probation after he was found guilty of two offences committed against the same woman in September 2021.

The 55-year-old was found not guilty of two further counts of sexual assault against the woman following a trial at Newry Crown Court.

In addition to 80 hours of community service, Spence, from Trummery Heights in Craigavon, was handed two years of probation and placed on the sex offenders register for five years at a sentencing hearing last month.

Under terms of the probation order, he “must actively participate in any programme of work recommended by your supervising officer”.

Spence must permanently reside at an approved address and must not leave to live elsewhere without the approval of his probation officer.

The court also put in place a restraining order barring him from contacting his victim for a period of five years.

He was told the Independent Safeguarding Authority may include him in the adult and children’s barred list as required under the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups (Northern Ireland) Order 2007.

Spence said he was hoping to put the matter behind him and rebuild his life following the case.

He said the woman was deemed unable to consent to contact due to the amount of alcohol she had taken.

“The jury did find me not guilty on the two charges, which was a relief and which is why I am not in jail,” he added.

“We just want to put it behind ourselves and get on with our lives.

“The damage that it has done has been colossal, absolutely colossal.

“My family were there for the whole trial and they know that’s not me.”

He added that he was no longer a member of the NI Judo Federation, no longer had any involvement in the sport and that he was “just trying to live a quiet life”.

The federation was contacted for comment.