A MAN has been jailed for eight months for sexually assaulting a woman in her bedroom.
Rafal Pawel Hajduga (37) appeared at Downpatrick Crown Court where he was sentenced for two offences.
Judge Geoffery Miller QC imposed the 16-month sentence, divided equally between licence and custody.
The father-of-one, from Shamrock Glen in Bangor, was arrested after a woman contacted police regarding a sexual assault.
The court heard Hajduga, who is originally from Poland, had been socialising in a friend's house in Newtowards on January 16, 2021.
Also present was the victim (20), who also lived in the property. She went to bed after midnight and a short time later Hajduga came into her room and asked her if she wanted a drink.
The woman refused and said she wanted to sleep, but he touched her face and told her she was beautiful before leaving her bedroom.
Hajduga returned a second time, and despite her efforts to move away and her telling him to stop, Hajduga sexually assaulted her. She contacted police the following day, her pyjamas were seized and examined, and Hajduga was linked to the clothing via DNA.
He was arrested and during an initial interview he made no admissions. A second interview was conducted and while he admitted he had been in the house in Newtownards, he again denied any sexual misconduct.
He subsequently admitted charges of both sexual assault and causing a person to engage in a sexual act, and was both frank and remorseful about his behaviour with a Probation Officer.
Judge Miller said that whilst Hajduga cited alcohol as a factor in his offending, he now accepts "this is neither a defence nor a point in mitigation."
He also noted Hajduga's clear criminal record and stable background.
The judge spoke of several aggravating factors including the sexual assault occurring in the victim's bedroom "where she was entitled to feel safe".
Turning to the victim, he said: "She told police she was frightened during the incident. She said she tried to speak calmly with him to stop her from harming her."
Hajduga was also placed on the Sex Offenders Register for five years.