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Would-Be Victim Of Sexual Assault Leaves Her Attacker Battered And Bruised

By Janice Malcolm
Published on: 09:57 PST, Dec 3, 2015

An attempted rapist dragged a woman into the bushes to sexually assault her but instead got a wicked surprise when she bravely fought back and left him covered in bruises and struggling to even open his eyes.

A young woman on her way home was attacked from behind and dragged into a hedge by a man identified as 35-year-old Johnathon Holmes in an attempt to sexually assault her. Reportedly, Holmes had followed the victim for over a mile before he made his move on the young woman. However, it seems the woman had been aware she was being followed and had done her best to prepare for a fight if necessary.

One of the first things Holmes did was to try and use his body weight against his victim, climbing on top of her while pushing his tongue in her mouth, and muttering his delusions to her.

“You’re going to enjoy this.”

The court that heard the woman’s case commended her as being brave during Holmes’ sexual attack. The woman punched her attacker in the stomach numerous times, bit his tongue, and even used her keys as an effective weapon and stabbing him in the neck with it. Her screams also caught the attention of passers-by, and when they came to her aid, Johnathon Holmes fled the scene. The attacker jumped over some nearby railings and further bruised himself as he ran off.

The attack on the 21-year-old woman occurred at around midnight on November 11, and ITV reports that police were able to track down Holmes by 1:30 a.m. When the police arrested the man, he claimed to have no recollection of the attempted sexual assault, stating that he had been drinking earlier and was drunk during that time. Police were able to obtain CCTV footage in Sheffield City Centre though, and it showed Holmes hiding behind walls and watching lone women the entire afternoon long before going drinking in the evening.

The would-be victim of the sexual attack once more braved Holmes in court as she testified against the predator.

“I believed without a doubt he was going to rape me. My life would have been over, he might as well have killed me right there. I was so terrified but so angry.”

The young woman also relayed that when she realized she was being followed that night, she had tried to lose her pursuer. She crossed the street several times, used her cellphone to call her partner, and finally pulled her keys out of her purse to use as a weapon, and the picture of his bruised and swollen face shows that she used them well.

In court, Holmes’ attorney attempted to claim his violent attack as something out of character and that “he can’t say why he acted as he did,” but the judge was not having it. During sentencing, Judge Sarah Wright said that she had “no doubt whatsoever” that the young woman had been deliberately targeted by Holmes to be sexually assaulted. Mirror reported that the judge added that the victim turning the tables on her attacker showed that she “fought back with considerable bravery and courage.” The judge addressed Holmes regarding the damage he had caused to the woman’s psyche before she sentenced him.

“No one listening could fail to have been moved by her words. It is clear to me that what you did had a devastating effect on her life. She is not able to continue her life as before.”

Johnathon Holmes pleaded guilty to the charge of sexual assault and was sentenced to four years in jail.

His victim says that day will forever be with her; despite having left him physically battered and bruised, she says she has the emotional scars. The nightmare replayed in her head for days afterwards and she now fears going anywhere after dark.

“I often think how much worse it could gave been. Even though I know he is locked up, sometimes I’m scared he will come after me again.”

[Photo Courtesy of South Yorkshire Police]

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