A MAN who sexually abused two schoolboys when he was just 14 has been spared jail.

John Kingston, now 43, assaulted the two youngsters in Colchester in the early 1990s.

One of his victims described himself as feeling like “a worthless piece of meat” after an attack, while Kingston told the other the incidents were “what big boys do”.

He admitted five counts of indecent assault.

Emma Nash, mitigating, said the incidents were as a result of physical and emotional abuse he himself had received as a young boy.

Kingston has not offended since the incidents some 30 years ago.

“He is still suffering symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder and more treatment is required,” she said.

“One can only imagine the symptoms at that time.

“The incidents were desisted voluntarily by the defendant.

“He made early admissions which is extremely important.

“It may have been easy to try and lie his way out of these historical offences

“There has been punishment for him simply by going through this process.

“That will continue whether he goes to prison or not.”

The victims are now adults and one said in a victim impact statement that he felt there was nothing to be gained from Kingston being jailed, but the other said he was still angry about the assaults.

At Ipswich Crown Court, Judge Emma Peters decided there was sufficient grounds to suspend his two year jail sentence for two years.

The length of the custodial term was lessened because he was a child at the time.

He will be supervised by the probation service for two years on the sex offender’s registers for ten years and must pay £1,200 costs.

Judge Peters said Kingston, of Upland Crescent, Mersea, had inflicted cruel attacks but himself was a victim of abuse.

“There is no doubt these two men, who were then young boys, suffered at your hands and the impact has lasted for many years,” she said.

“Suspending this sentence is in no way diminishing what happened to them.

“Since then you have lived a blameless life and had never come before the court before.

“There is strong mitigation relating to what you, yourself suffered.

“There is no suggestion you are a risk to the public.

“What you went through clearly had a significant impact on how you behaved in your teenage years.”