A JUDGE has offered a man who drunkenly sexually assaulted a teenager the chance to avoid jail for his crimes.

Judge Christopher Prince told Thomas Skelsey “it’s up to you” after deferring sentence on the 48-year-old for six months to see if he could keep out of trouble.

If he commits no further offences, receives positive reports from the alcohol service Lifeline and the probation service and saves the £535 needed to pay the costs of prosecuting his case, Skelsey was told, his four-month prison sentence would be suspended for two years, meaning he would not go straight to jail.

However, if he fails to meet any of those conditions, he faces immediate imprisonment.

Addressing Skelsey at Durham Crown Court today (Friday, March 11), Judge Prince said: “If you commit any offence, if you go out on a binge drinking expedition at all, I will be told about it and if I hear you are behaving that way the six months (deferral of sentence) will be cancelled and I will bring you back here and sentence you. It’s up to you."

He added: "The ball's completely in your court."

Skelsey, of Bronte Place, South Stanley, pleaded guilty to sexual assault and criminal damage arising from an incident on the evening of Thursday, October 29, last year.

The court heard he had been drinking heavily when he stripped naked and started making suggestive comments to two young women.

When they told him to stop, he laughed and performed a sex act in front of them. He also grabbed the back of one’s trousers and tried to pull her towards him, leading to the sexual assault charge. She was able to break away, calling him disgusting.

He then jumped onto the other woman.

During the moments that followed, Skelsey had cleaning liquid squirted in his eyes, leading him to punch a wall four times, causing criminal damage.

The women left, shaken but uninjured, the court heard. One later reported being scared and disgusted by what had happened.

In police interview, Skelsey admitted being extremely drunk and playing drinking games but said he was mortified at his actions and “wasn’t like that”.

Paul Currer, for Skelsey, pointed Judge Prince to a pre-sentence report prepared on his client by the probation service.

Judge Prince said Skelsey was guilty of a “sustained incidence of disgusting behaviour”. Skelsey will return to Durham Crown Court to be sentenced on Friday, September 9. His name will be added to the sex offenders' register.