A 34-year-old woman was so traumatised after being attacked by a former Dundee man she ended up losing her home.
Teesside Crown Court heard Ian Noble, 44, formerly of Thorter Row, Dundee, followed the vulnerable woman before grabbing her around the chest, clamping a hand over her mouth and demanding her mobile phone.
The victim, who was on the phone to a friend at the time, screamed for help and told her friend to call the police.
Noble, who was wearing a hoodie, let her go when he realised someone was alerting the police.
The court heard he was an alcoholic who had spent the day drinking in woods near his parents’ house in the Mowden area of Darlington before the attack.
A victim impact statement, read to the court by prosecutor Harry Hadfield, said Noble’s victim began taking medication after the attack in October last year but eventually lost her home and job due to the incident.
Mr Hadfield said Noble had let go of the woman and run away when he realised she was calling the police. But his victim turned around and was able to get a good look at him before he fled.
Noble’s solicitor Chris Baker said Noble was an alcoholic who had never been in trouble before.
He added that he had pleaded guilty when he appeared in court earlier this year and had since lost his job in Dundee and was now back in Darlington living with his parents.
Judge Peter Armstrong sentenced Noble to two years in custody.
He said: “Firstly, she thought she was going to get sexually assaulted, secondly, the offence against her has had a devastating impact on her.”
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