Pervert 'thrusted' himself against Leeds worker's bottom in shop sex assault

Jack Judd thrusted “two or three times” with the horrified woman later telling police that she could feel his erect penis through his tracksuit bottoms.

The location of the store cannot be named to protect the identity of the victim, but Judd, 30, was seen loitering near to the worker on December 5, 2021.

Prosecuting the case at Leeds Crown Court, Philip Standfast said the worker “assumed” Judd was trying to lean over her to reach for an item to buy.

He lent against her and began “thrusting” and rubbing himself against her. She was able to move free from him and raise the alarm with other members of staff.

CCTV was checked and showed the lead up to the offence, and the aftermath, but failed to capture the assault, Mr Standfast said.

Judd, of Barnsley Road, Wakefield, was arrested and interviewed on January 21, 2022, and admitted he was in the shop. He said if he had touched the worker it was “by accident”.

He was due to stand trial at Leeds Crown Court this year, but changed his plea to guilty of sexual assault.

Little mitigation was offered by his barrister, but a victim impact statement, taken from the woman a year after the incident, was read to the court in which she said she remained angry, was nervous around people and “felt physically sick” when she recalled the assault.

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Judge Christopher Batty told Judd: “This is a worrying case because your conduct that day was wholly unacceptable. You were attracted to the complainant who was simply doing her job.

“The invasion upon her privacy that you subjected her, you have heard the consequences today. It may be that you did not give any thought to those consequences, but you should have done.”

He gave Judd a two-year community order, told him he must enrol on an accredited sex offender programme and gave him 50 rehabilitation days with probation. He was also put on the sex offender register for five years and a given a five-year restraining order to stop him going near the victim.