A senior prison officer who sexually assaulted two women has avoided a jail sentence but left one of his victims “living in constant fear”.

Matthew Powell, who worked at HMP Swaleside in Eastchurch, was accused of touching the women without their consent on two separate occasions.

The offences happened six months apart in 2022.

A previous court hearing was told Powell trapped the legs of one of his victims, touched her hair and said something sexually explicit.

The second victim was said to have had her bottom slapped and grabbed as she bent over to pick something up.

Powell, 41, of Warden, near Leysdown, on Sheppey, was charged with two counts of sexual assault and first appeared before magistrates in July last year.

He initially denied the charges, and the case was due to be the subject of a trial at Maidstone Crown Court.

‘Matthew Powell embarrassed me, intimidated me and touched me inappropriately for his own sexual gain...’

However, on the first day of the hearing, he changed his plea to guilty.

He was handed a four-month prison sentence which was suspended for two years when he appeared at the same court in April.

Speaking since the sentencing, one of his victims, who did not want to be named, said: “Matthew Powell embarrassed me, intimidated me and touched me inappropriately for his own sexual gain.

“I did not initiate this, nor give him any reason to believe that this was something I wanted.

“I have been diagnosed with PTSD following historical sexual abuse.

“Matthew Powell’s actions triggered the PTSD and a huge decline in my mental health.

“This left me with severe anxiety and flashbacks of not only the sexual assault from him, but the abuse that I suffered in the past.

“I had worked hard with a therapist to minimise my flashbacks and the effects the previous trauma had on me.”

She added: “This has been emotionally and mentally draining for me and has again had a huge impact on my mental health, relationships, and work life.”

Powell was placed on the sex offenders’ register for seven years.

A prison service spokesman said: “Matthew Powell has rightly faced justice for his despicable offences.

“We do not tolerate misconduct of any kind and where officers fall below our high standards, we do not hesitate to take robust action.

“An independent unit is being set up to address bullying and misconduct across the service, marking major reform to raise professional standards and protect staff.”