A YOUNG father who groped a stranger in broad daylight has been jailed.
David Lee Shaw, of Lincoln Road, Blacon, groped the 29-year-old’s breast at midday on Eastgate Street last summer.
Shaw, 22, a plumbing student with one child and another on the way, first denied the offence before entering a guilty plea on the day his trial was due to start.
On July 4 last year, the victim had been on her lunch break walking up Eastgate Street.
Prosecutor Martin McRobb said: “The defendant was outside a shop with associates and made a comment ‘look at those’ and indicated towards the lady’s breasts.
“He then stood in her way and grabbed hold of one of the lady’s breasts and squeezed it.
“She was shocked and asked him to explain what he had done. He became aggressive and said ‘what are you going to do, call the police?’.”
Shaw, who had been drinking, then fled towards St Werburgh Street. He was arrested soon after when he was identified on CCTV.
In her statement, the victim had said she was apprehensive of men in Chester city centre after the attack.
Shaw committed the further offence of failing to report to police within three days of conviction under the Sexual Offences Act.
District judge Nicholas Sanders told Shaw: “Had you pleaded guilty initially I would probably not have sent you to prison. Because you chose to take it to this stage, putting the victim under even more pressure, it is unforgivable.”
He was jailed for 12 weeks for the sexual assault and four weeks for the failure to notify, making a total of 16 weeks.
He was also placed on the Sex Offenders Register for seven years and ordered to pay £400 to his victim in compensation.
