A teacher who appeared in the Channel 4 documentary series Educating Cardiff has been handed a suspended sentence for sexually assaulting a 17-year-old girl.

Gareth Ritter, 44, of Bryngwyn, Monmouthshire, initially denied the charge but changed his plea to guilty during his trial in October.

Sentencing him on Wednesday, Judge Dyfed Llion Thomas described the incident as a "cruel assault on a young woman by an older man." He told Ritter, also a brass band conductor, that the victim "didn't want any of this sexual contact that you inflicted on her that night."

Ritter received a 33-month sentence, suspended for 30 months, and was placed on the sex offenders' register for life. He was also ordered to complete 250 hours of community service.

Assault Followed Offer of a Lift

The court heard that the assault occurred in 2015 after Ritter offered to drive the teenager home from an event in Cardiff. En route, he said he needed to stop at a flat he owned in Cardiff Bay. Once inside, Ritter, then in his 30s, touched the 17-year-old's bottom and later kissed her in the hallway.

In her testimony, the woman said: "One hand went around my back, it dropped to my bum and he lent in and kissed me. I remember his tongue going into my mouth. I remember being against the wall, I couldn't step back. I remember him kissing me. I turned my face away. I held out my hands on his chest. It was a light push but not forceful."

Reading her victim impact statement during the trial, she said recalling the incident "makes me feel sick," adding that she had blamed herself and was later diagnosed with depression. She said Ritter had "abused his position" and was someone she had "looked up to."

Previous Offences Involving Indecent Images

Ritter had previously admitted two counts of making an indecent photograph of a child and one count of distributing an indecent photograph of a child. While investigating an unrelated incident, detectives found intimate images of a young woman under 18 on his phone and tablet. Ritter claimed they had been sent to him by someone else. When the victim was contacted about the images, she told police about the assault.

In mitigation, Ritter's defence barrister, Jenny Yeo, said he was "sorry beyond words for the stress and pain he had caused." She added that he had lost his teaching and music careers and was seeking therapy. "He has learned a very hard lesson and he assured me and the court that it will never be repeated," Yeo said.

However, Judge Thomas expressed "grave reservations" about Ritter's remorse, stating that he had shown "arrogance and self-importance" when giving evidence. The judge said the assault had been planned and called it "an abuse of trust." He told Ritter: "I think you targeted her on that night, you took her to a location where you knew you would be alone."

The judge also addressed the victim's courage, saying: "[The victim] told the court during the trial, in evidence, what many, many people who are victims of sexual assault say - who is going to believe me? Well, she is believed, Mr Ritter, and everyone knows that what she told the court was true."

In suspending the sentence, Judge Thomas said he did so "with some reluctance," but noted Ritter's previous good character and the potential impact on his family. A further hearing will be held to consider court costs, as well as a restraining order and a sexual harm prevention order.