Anthony Ayres, a man from the Isle of Wight, who groped a woman’s genitals after off a bus in Sandown, has avoided incarceration. Anthony Ayres, residing on Atherley Road in Shanklin, appeared before a judge at the Isle of Wight Crown Court on Thursday, November 14.
A 56-year-old individual confessed to sexually assaulting a female in Sandown on July 10.
Prosecutor Tim Devlin stated that Anthony Ayres initially refuted the accusation but subsequently altered his plea before to the trial.
The court was informed that the event was recorded on CCTV and constituted a “simple” sexual assault, during which Anthony Ayres attempted to seize his victim’s genitalia.
Mr Devlin said Anthony Ayres was on a Southern Vectis bus, and when he got off near Sandown Library, he confronted a nearby woman and queried her gender.
Mr Devlin said, when the woman told Anthony Ayres she was a female, he had his doubts and reached out to touch her genitals, at which point the victim smacked his hand away.
In a statement, read out in court, the victim described how the incident made her feel “sick to her stomach”, asking the question: “Who thinks it’s OK to behave this way?”
Jim Osborne, defending, said Anthony Ayres had initially elected Crown Court trial but later pleaded guilty.
He said he had turned his life around since the incident and had stopped drinking and taking drugs.
Anthony Ayres was made subject of a 12-month community order, to include 20 rehabilitation days and a six-month alcohol treatment requirement.
Anthony Ayres was placed on the Sex Offenders’ Register for five years and ordered to pay costs of £520.
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