Northampton General Hospital porter pushed his way into woman's house in 'disgraceful' sex assault bid

Former Northampton General Hospital employee Ian Heath, of Chalcombe Avenue, met the woman in a pub in Northampton.

Prosecuting Heath during a sentencing hearing at Northampton Crown Court yesterday, Victoria Rose said the 51-year-old did not accept her repeated refusals from his attention.

She said: "He kept telling her that he liked her, even though she told him over and over again that she did not like him.

"The defendant insisted on walking home with her.

"When they arrived at the front door the victim tried to put the catch on the door, but Heath grabbed her by the right arm and fell on top of her. "

The court heard how Heath then grabbed the victim's wrists.

"She began to scream 'get off me'," said Miss Rose. "His response was to put his hand over her mouth."

The attack only came to an end when two neighbours heard the screams and attempted to break the door down.

The court heard how the defendant came out of the front door and "staggered" down the street. He was arrested at work the following morning.

Judge Timothy Smith ordered Heath, now a warehouse worker, to carry out 225 hours of unpaid work as part of a three-year community order. He was also made to sign up to a sex offender program for up to 90 days and will sign the Sex Offender Register for five years.

Judge Smith added that Heath had behaved in a "disgraceful" way.

In particular, he noted the victim had to take time off work following the attack and has since received medical treatment for anxiety.

Defending for Heath, Maxine Krone said: "In short, he has made a drunken attempt to further matters but has been unsuccessful."

Though she added: "He accepts he shouldn't have pushed his way in."