A Belfast man who raped a stranger as she walked home after a night out with friends has been jailed.
Stephen Dalton was handed a six-and-a-half year sentence for the sex attack which he committed on September 10 2021.
As he sentenced Dalton for the "disturbing" case, Judge Paul Ramsey KC told the 39-year old he will spend half the term in jail followed by the same period on licence.
The judge also paid tribute to two cyclists who witnessed the incident and alerted the PSNI.
Belfast Crown Court heard that despite pleading to charges of rape and sexual assault, Dalton told a Probation Officer he was innocent.
From Fairfax Court in Belfast, he targeted the then 26-year old woman as she walked home from a night out with friends.
After dining in a Chinese restaurant then frequenting several bars in the centre of Belfast, she decided to walk home.
The intoxicated woman - who does not remember the incident - was walking on a footpath that runs along the River Lagan when she encountered Dalton on the same path.
Dalton and the woman walked along the path together for a short period before separating - but then Dalton followed her across a bridge.
He then sexually assaulted and raped her on a bench, part of which was witnessed by two passing cyclists.
A cyclist spoke to Dalton who said he was trying to help the woman - but due to her intoxicated and vulnerable stage, the witness alerted the PSNI.
After calling the police, the two cyclists remained watching from a distance.
Police arrived and Dalton was arrested. He gave a no comment response, but was forensically linked when his DNA was located on his victim.
Judge Ramsey said he had read an "articulate and heartfelt" statement written by the victim, who spoke of the impact.
She said she didn't intend getting as intoxicated as she did on the night in question - but expressed shock that she was taken advantage of and attacked.
The victim also described what happened to her as a "nightmare" and revealed she no longer socialises and has been left feeling paranoid.
Judge Ramsey said he considered defence submissions which spoke of Dalton's low IQ, his poor mental health and his issues with substance and alcohol misuse.
His defence also said the incident was impulsive rather than planned and that his guilty plea spared his victim the trauma of a trial.
Noting Dalton told a Probation Officer he was innocence of the charges despite his guilty pleas, Judge Ramsey said this displayed "distorted thinking ... and a lack of insight into consent or victim awareness."
Judge Ramsey also made Dalton the subject of a 10 year Sexual Offences Prevention Order and placed him on the Sex Offenders Register for an indefinite period.