A SEX attacker who tried to force himself on a woman with learning difficulties has been jailed for 17 months by a crown court judge.

Anthony Robert Kirkbright, 48, groped his victim while she was examining his CD collection, Burnley Crown Court was told.

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The Blackburn woman had accompanied Kirkbright back to his house in Burnley after meeting up with him in a café, the court heard.

Prosecutor Stephen Parker said that when the defendant sexually assaulted the woman she grabbed his hand and forcefully removed it from down the front of her pants and told him not to do it again.

But when he returned upstairs, and while she was trying to watch TV, he forced her onto the bed and lay on top of her. She wanted him to move off her, as he was “quite heavy”.

The pair had been cooking pies downstairs and she managed to persuade him to go and check to see whether they were ready or not, said Mr Parker. Later the woman left the house and the matter was eventually reported to police, which led to Kirkbright’s arrest.

He told police that while he accepted bringing the woman to his home, he denied anything sexual transpired. Kirkbright was bailed by officers.

But shortly afterwards, Kirkbright was out with his parents in Accrington when he came across two women he knew.

While hugging one, he took the opportunity to squeeze her bottom. She later reported the matter to police.

The court heard Kirkbright had been placed on probation for two years in 2001 for an offence of having sex with a girl aged under 16.

Kirkbright, of Howard Street, Burnley, who pleaded guilty two offences of sexual assault, was also ordered to sign the sex offenders’ register for 10 years.

Richard Taylor, defending, said his client was a rather “pathetic” figure who had mental health problems.

“This has been his first experience of custody and it has been an extremely salutary lesson. Every time I have spoken to him he has been in a floods of tears,” he added.