A SENIOR airman based at RAF Brize Norton who broke into a woman's house and climbed into bed with her has avoided jail.

John Norry, below, was sentenced yesterday after he admitted trespassing with intent to commit a sexual offence on November 8 last year.

The 26-year-old has served eight years in the RAF and was at the end of four weeks of leave following a tour of duty in Afghanistan when the crime took place.

Tetteh Turkson, prosecuting, said the defendant was returning to the base at around 4am when he saw a house he thought he recognised and broke in through a locked window.

The barrister told Judge Gordon Risius he got into bed with the woman who lived there and started kissing her and caressing her.

He said Norry’s victim was “terrified” but tried to stay calm because her daughter was asleep in the next room.

Mr Turkson added that the woman told him to leave and after saying he “just wanted to sleep”, the airman put his belt back on and left.

Jane Brady, defending, said her client had been drinking for 12 hours straight during the day. She said: “He was behaving absolutely recklessly and foolishly and that is accepted by him.”

Judge Risius said Norry put the woman through “a terrifying experience in the one place she was entitled to feel safe.”

But he added that he took into account his eight years service in the RAF and said it was more important to prevent him offending again.

Norry was given a three-year community order with a sex offender treatment programme and a supervision requirement.

He was also told to pay £500 compensation and £600 costs.

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