A YORK man has been jailed for 18 months after sexually assaulting a woman in a remote lay-by.

Thomas Fox, 25, of Burdyke Avenue, Clifton, was also placed on the sex offenders’ register for ten years after his sentencing hearing at York Crown Court. Andrew Dallas, prosecuting, told the court Fox had hired a VW Golf to collect his victim on February 12 last year.

He had invited her to go on a shopping trip to Leeds, but instead drove her to the North York Moors.

Fox parked in a layby in Goathland and locked the car before sexually assaulting the woman inside the vehicle, despite her telling him to stop several times.

Mr Dallas said: “She told him she had a sexually transmitted disease in an attempt to get him to desist.” After the assault, Fox drove the woman home, who reported him to the police.

Emma Bennett, defending, said Fox claimed the day “got out of control”.

She added: “He has asked me to make clear that he is sorry.

“He never meant to cause any harm or suffering. He realises that it would have been very uncomfortable for her.”

Ms Bennett asked the court to impose a suspended sentence or a community order in line with probation reports.

But the Recorder of York, Judge Stephen Ashurst, said he could not consider that.

He said: “For a sustained period of time, you carried out a number of sexual acts with her and against her.

“It is hard to imagine what feelings were going through this woman’s mind.”

Judge Ashurst said she might have feared being killed and left there.

Referring to texts Fox sent to friends afterwards, he added: “You thought this was some kind of conquest, but in fact you were deluding yourself.

“I accept it was out of character, but at the same time it was extremely serious.

“This must have been an extremely frightening and disturbing incident.”