A LEADING flat racing jockey who urinated on a woman in an unprovoked attack has avoided a prison sentence.

Paul Quinn grappled with the woman and bruised her face and back as she tried to use her mobile phone.

The 35-year-old, of Rymer Way, Thirsk, North Yorkshire, then urinated on his victim as she kicked him away during the incident in November 2011.

Quinn, whose career stretches back to 1997, was due to go on trial at Teesside Crown Court accused of two sexual assaults, but prosecutors accepted his guilty plea to a charge of common assault.

Christine Egerton, prosecuting, said Quinn had been drinking before the attack, and had embarrassed his victim.

She said: “This was a gratuitous degradation of this woman which left her humiliated, and although there were not great physical injuries, the emotional injuries remain.

“He had been drinking and had tried to use her mobile phone when he grappled with her, hitting her and pulling her hair.

“She kicked him and he fell away, which was when he urinated on her, and he accepts he was reckless.”

Deborah Sherwin, mitigating for Quinn, who had no previous convictions, said he regretted the incident.

She said: “It was a very stressful time for him, but he is very remorseful for losing it like he did, and there is no suggestion of any repetition of this behaviour.

“He did not deliberately set out to assault her.”

Judge Peter Armstrong gave Quinn a 12-month community order and 50 hours unpaid work, ordering him to pay £250 compensation to his victim.

Quinn was previously served with a restraining order banning him from contacting the woman.

The jockey has ridden more than 160 winners in his career, including successes at Newcastle, York, Redcar and Catterick.

His biggest win came aboard Indian Trail, trained by David Nicholls, of Sessay, near Thirsk, in the Investec Dash at Epsom on 2009 Derby Day.