A man who sexually assaulted a woman as she walked along a Nottingham canal towpath has been jailed.
Constanitin Radu grabbed the woman from behind as she walked under a bridge near Wilford Street, Nottingham, on the evening of Friday 1 November last year.
He then assaulted her over her clothing before calmly leaving the scene.
Thanks to a description given by the victim, Radu was found by officers nearby and arrested.
Whilst in custody he then exposed himself to a female police officer who visited his cell.
Radu, aged 32, was remanded into custody and later pleaded guilty to sexual assault and exposure.
He also admitted two other charges of exposure in the city centre – one on the day of the attack when he exposed himself on a bench, and another on October 30 when he exposed himself to two young women.
Appearing at Nottingham Crown Court today (Friday 9 May) Radu, of no fixed address, was jailed for 33 months.
He was also made the subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order that will restrict his activities when he is released from prison.
The order includes a ban on entering land adjacent to the Nottingham Canal between Beeston Lock and the River Trent.
Any breach of that order may lead to an immediate return to prison.
Detective Inspector Steven King said: “Radu deliberately targeted a lone and vulnerable woman as she walked to do some shopping.
“After grabbing her from behind he then put his hand over her mouth before subjecting her to a distressing sexual assault.
“I can only imagine the fear and anxiety she felt at that moment as she wondered what Radu would do next.
“Thanks to the excellent description she was able to give to officers we were quickly able to apprehend this man, who then went on to commit another very serious sexual offence whilst in police custody.
“I am pleased he has now been sentenced and that significant restrictions have been placed on his future actions.
“Because this man should be in no doubt, that if he ever does anything remotely like this again when he is released, he will be going straight back to jail.”
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