Man who stroked shop assistant's hair given a four months jail term after being convicted of sexual assault

Gary Minford, of Bush Park in Antrim town, was at Antrim Magistrates' Court, sitting in Ballymena, on Tuesday for sentencing. He was also ordered to sign the Sex Offenders' Register for seven years.

A defence barrister said the defendant intends to appeal the conviction and he was released on £500 bail.

A prosecutor said that around 2pm on August 26 the defendant was in a supermarket when he approached the staff member and told her that her hair was "gorgeous".

He also said it had been "gorgeous" the previous day when it had been in a different style.

The prosecutor said the defendant stroked the woman's hair and told her his partner was jealous of her and that was why he had never approached her before.

The prosecutor added: "This was despite the injured party having never spoken to the defendant before or having any knowledge of him".

The court heard that during the August 26 incident the defendant placed his hand on the shop assistant's back, "rubbing her back up and down before leaning in for a hug and hugging her whilst placing his head on her shoulder". The defendant then moved away.

The woman informed her manager and the defendant was asked to leave the store.

When arrested and interviewed he "apologised", the prosecutor said. She said the defendant said he was "sexually attracted" to the woman and that he had given her a hug.

He told police the hug "was if to say sorry" and he denied that he had any sexual gratification from hugging her or from touching her hair.

The court heard the defendant had been convicted of sexual assault after contesting the case.

District Judge Nigel Broderick said a victim impact statement showed the woman left the employment as she "didn't feel able to continue".

A defence barrister said the defendant has been employed for a Council for 20 years.

He said it is the defendant's first ever conviction.

Judge Broderick said the defendant "seems somewhat delusional, he seems to have created in his own mind a belief that his then partner was jealous of him having a relationship with the victim when there was no relationship and it just seemed to be an invention to give him some form of excuse for touching the female victim and making comments associated with that that created a charge of sexual assault".

The judge said courts take such offences extremely seriously.

He told the defendant: "No female, no person but in this case this was a female shop assistant, should be assaulted let alone sexually assaulted at their place of work where they should be safe.

"There is almost a sinister element to this because you invented some kind of view in your own mind that your then partner was jealous of you having a relationship with this shop assistant when there was no such relationship".

The judge said it was clear the victim had to “leave her place of work because she doesn't feel safe there and that is all down to you”.

Judge Broderick said he took into account the defendant's clear record but the custodial threshold had been crossed and he jailed the defendant for four months.

A two year Restraining Order was also put in place and the defendant was ordered to sign the Sex Offenders' Register for seven years.

Bail in the sum of £500 was fixed for appeal.