An active-duty female sailor detailed, during the sentencing of her former boyfriend, how being sexually assaulted by him had "forever changed" every aspect of her life, including her Navy career.

New London Superior Court Judge Barbara Bailey Jongbloed on Thursday sentenced former Navy sailor Kenneth M. Weatherspoon, 31, to nine years in prison for sexual assault.

Weatherspoon faced 21 years in prison. Jongbloed said in determining Weatherspoon's sentence that she considered a number of factors, including his age, his having no prior criminal history, his difficult upbringing, his military service and the statement provided by the victim at the sentencing. In addition to his prison sentence, he will serve 10 years of probation.

Weatherspoon is required to register as a lifetime member of the state sex offender registry. He must surrender or transfer any weapons or ammunition in his possession, and must abide by a lifetime protective order to have no contact with the victim whatsoever.

Jongbloed also ordered him to undergo sex offender treatment, a mental health evaluation and substance-abuse treatment.

When asked by Jongbloed, Weatherspoon said that he did not wish to speak at the sentencing.

"There's no reason to think that the defendant can't have a productive life going forward," Jongbloed said. "On the negative side, this was a very violent and very serious offense, and the defendant's conduct will affect the victim for the rest of her life."

The victim, 24, seated feet away from her assaulter, read a statement that outlined, in great detail, the impact of the incident on her. About a minute in, she stopped and asked if Stephanie Barber, her victim advocate, could finish reading the statement for her.

The statement described how in the months following the assault she had nightmares that Weatherspoon would break into the apartment while she was sleeping and "rape and kill me out of pure rage for turning him in." She said that she began losing chunks of her hair, started to abuse alcohol, and became hyper vigilant. At restaurants, she sits against a wall facing the door so she doesn't have to worry about anyone coming up behind her and hurting her.

After the assault, she lost motivation and desire to do anything that wasn't required of her. She was "downloaded," meaning she couldn't carry her guns, stand watch or perform her daily duties. She also was scrutinized by her peers, who didn't know the situation.

"Despite the fact that I was the victim, I was kept downloaded for ten months and felt like I had done something wrong," Barber said, reading from the victim statement.

The sailor was placed on limited-duty status, and put at first lieutenant, a temporary assignment that involved picking up trash, conducting maintenance around the base, painting crosswalks, delivering newspapers and overall keeping the base clean, according to her statement.

"This is what many sailors on restriction do, sailors that have ruined their careers and have broken either military laws or regulations, or were deemed unfit for military life," Barber read from the victim statement.

Prosecutor Lawrence J. Tytla said that when people question why victims of sexual assault don't report what happened to them, "this case should be exhibit A."

In March, a six-member jury found Weatherspoon guilty of sexual assault in a spousal or cohabiting relationship and third-degree assault. The jury found him not guilty of second-degree strangulation.

Investigators seized video recordings that Weatherspoon had made around the time of the incident that showed him following her around the apartment and, he admitted during the trial, purposefully antagonizing her during an argument about them spending time with co-workers of the opposite sex.

During the trial, Tytla broadcast the videos for the jury and showed them pictures of the victim's injuries, including red marks on her neck and bruises on her buttocks and rib cage.

In taking the case to trial, Weatherspoon had turned down an offer to plead guilty in exchange for a three-year prison sentence with 10 years of probation. Weatherspoon was represented by attorney Kevin C. Barrs, supervisor of the public defender's office.

Weatherspoon served in the Navy for seven years, most recently as a hospital corpsman, Navy records show, but opted not to re-enlist, according to court testimony. He was working in a civil position in the commissary on the Naval Submarine Base at the time of the incident, which happened in 2015 in an apartment on Gold Star Highway where the then-couple lived.

j.bergman@theday.com