Man groped unconscious stranger on night out
Northumbria PoliceA man who groped a stranger after she passed out in an alleyway on a night out has been jailed for more than four years.
Mark Hogarth, 39, claimed he was helping the woman in Sunderland city centre but instead sexually assaulted her, Newcastle Crown Court heard.
Another man and woman stopped the attack, with Hogarth arrested a short while later.
Hogarth, of Burnbank in Sunderland, was jailed for four years and four months after he admitted assault by penetration.
Both Hogarth and his victim had been out drinking in Sunderland on the night of 13 January 2024, prosecutor Jessica Slaughter said.
The pair had spoken briefly earlier in the night and at about 05:00 GMT on 14 January, Hogarth found her collapsed in an alleyway.
He then groped her before a passing man and woman intervened, the court heard.
Hogarth claimed the woman was a friend of his and he was helping her but neither of them believed his lies, the court heard, with the man taking a picture of Hogarth which was quickly sent to police.
The victim was interviewed by officers and underwent intrusive forensic testing, with a DNA match for Hogarth proving he had molested her, the court heard.
The woman told officers she was "10 out of 10" on the drunkenness scale and was in and out of consciousness in the alleyway, the court heard.
Judge Robert Spragg said it was an "extremely unpleasant" assault on a totally defenceless woman and it could have been much worse if the two passers-by had not intervened.
Hogarth must now also sign the sex offenders register for life.