Sex offender jailed after victim snaps picture on mobile

A YOUNG mother used her mobile phone to take a picture of a man who sexually assaulted her in the street.

Suthanantham Suthakar tried the grab the phone from his 23-year-old victim, but two men in a passing car went to her assistance.

Warwick Crown Court heard 31-year-old Suthakar, of Hugh Road, Coventry, stepped in front of her as she walked along Humber Road in Gosford Green in September and put his hand on her shoulders and began tapping with his fingers.

At first she thought he was after directions as he was mumbling something, but he then moved his hand to the top part of her chest.

She tried to continue walking, but he followed and grabbed her from behind. She screamed and he ran off and hid in some bushes, but she followed him and took a picture on her mobile phone.

And as she attempted to take a second picture of him he jumped and and grabbed the cord of her earphones which tightened round her neck as she again began to scream.

Two men came to her rescue and chased Suthakar who was quickly arrested.

When questioned Suthakar said he had been out with a friend and they had drunk two bottles of whisky, and could not remember anything until waking up in a cell.

Edward Coke, defending, asked the judge to consider deferring sentence because the supervision part of the suspended sentence was at an early stage and ‘although steps were taken to get him on the right tracks, there has been insufficient time.’

Recorder Christopher Donnellan QC jailed him for 16 months and ordered to register as a sex offender for ten years.

He was ordered to serve the sentence consecutive to a 16-week suspended sentence, imposed for offences of assault by beating, which he was subject to at the time.

Mr Donnellan told him: "This was just under two weeks after you had been before the court in relation to assault matters by way of battery of a woman. What you did was really quite disturbing."

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