text: Judge Mary Stacey admitted the victim had been 'scarred psychologically' by the sexual assault but freed Josh Sweet after serving just two months on remand . A burglar who broke into a young teacher's home and sexually assaulted her as she lay in bed has been freed by a judge who handed him a community sentence. The decision's been slammed by a Victim Support charity worker, who said that 'victims deserve justice', after the 24-year-old teacher was left traumatised by the ordeal. Judge Mary Stacey admitted the victim had been 'scarred psychologically' during the case at Birmingham Crown Court, which has left her 'petrified' and afraid to go out. But Joshua Sweet, 20, from Birmingham, was freed and given a three-year community order on account of an early plea and having spent just two months in jail awaiting his court appearance. Madhu Rai, prosecuting, said Sweet broke into the victim's home and took items including car keys and a mobile phone before making his way upstairs, where the victim was asleep. In the dead of night, she awoke to find the intruder 'standing beside her bed' and screamed, which is when the terrifying assault began. Sweet then rolled down her duvet and touched the defendant sexually, saying 'you're not going to make any noise are you?' Miss Rai said the woman was extremely frightened and tried to divert the defendant. Sweet touched the woman’s bottom and upper thigh but as he took hold of the waistband of her pyjama bottoms, her house-mate, the owner of the property, came into the room and he fled. The police were called and Sweet was arrested nearby, but the victim's ordeal continued. In a statement she said she had been 'petrified' at finding a stranger in her bedroom and that the incident, which had caused her to take time off work, had left her feeling vulnerable and unsafe. She said she had put a bolt on her bedroom door and had been reluctant to come out. Sentencing guidelines for sexual assaults range up to eight years for the most serious cases. And although the nature of this case falls in the lower end of the scale, the sentence angered a victim support charity that said offenders 'must be given a punishment that fits their crime'. Joshua Sweet, 20, admitted burglary and sexual assault and was given a three-year community order, ordered to do 150 hours unpaid work and must register as a sex offender for five years . Carolyn Hodrien, victim services director for Victim Support, said: 'From supporting thousands of victims of sexual assault, we know what a devastating impact it can have on people's lives. 'Victims deserve justice and for this to happen offenders must be given a punishment that fits their crime. Community orders can be a really effective way to manage some offenders, but should never be issued for a serious offence or as a quick-fix.' Sweet, 20, of Alwold Road, Weoley Castle, Birmingham, who admitted burglary and sexual assault, was also ordered to do 150 hours unpaid work and register as a sex offender for five years. The judge also made a restraining order banning the defendant from going to the victim's road or having any contact with her. Mohammed Hafeez, defending, said Sweet was a young man with many difficulties  and had been the victim of serious offences himself which had had a 'significant' effect on his mental health. He said the death of a daughter had caused him to drink to excess and that he had little recollection of what he had done.
target: Joshua Sweet, 20, broke into the house in the early hours of the morning .
  Victim was psychologically scarred after being assaulted in her own bed .
  Maximum sentence is  8 years but Sweet served just two months on remand .
  Support charity says 'victim's deserve justice' in reaction to lenient sentence .