A MAN labelled “the town drunk” by his own barrister has been jailed for four years for an after dark street sex attack on a mature student.

In what a judge said must be every woman’s “worst nightmare”, Joseph James Holmes turned and approached the victim, who had just walked past him on Western Hill, Durham, at 7.30pm on December 12.

Durham Crown Court heard he muttered something which she could not make out, but made her feel uncomfortable.

Holmes then grabbed her right arm and told her: “I’ve got a knife. Take your knickers off,” before pushing her into a bush.

Rupert Doswell, prosecuting, said the woman told Holmes: “I don’t think so,” but as his right hand was in his pocket it was not clear if he did have a knife.

She tried to get into the middle of the road to be more visible to other members of the public and saw another female pedestrian further along the street, so shouted: “Help, I’m being attacked. Phone the police.”

Holmes then knocked the woman to the ground, and, pinning her down with his knee, prised open her legs and indecently touched her.

Mr Doswell said the passer-by approached and used her foot to pin down Holmes’ bag, which was on his back, enabling the victim to get up, before both women ran-off down the street.

Holmes, who seemed to be under the influence of drink or drugs, was seen walking away in the other direction, but brushed past another woman and made a lewd comment in a nearby street, before being arrested near the Garden House pub, at the top of North Road.

He was not in possession of a knife, and told police he had been drinking a mixture of lager, rum and wine in Durham, before heading to the city bus station.

But he had decided to walk home, to the charity-run men’s hostel he was living at the time, in Plawsworth, between Durham and Chester-le-Street, and claimed he had no memory of events after that.

The 46-year-old defendant, who has 101 convictions for 192 mostly nuisance, drink-related previous offences, admitted sexual assault.

Paul Cleasby, mitigating, said: “He has committed no previous offences of a sexual nature, but he was drunk at the time.

“However, it’s no consolation to the victim that she has been sexually assaulted by the equivalent of the ‘town drunk’.”

Jailing Holmes, Judge Christopher Prince said the nature of the incident was, “every woman’s nightmare”, but he formally commended the woman her came to the victim’s aid.

Holmes must now sign the Sex Offenders’ Register, for life.