A man who sexually assaulted a woman in the street in front of her son has been jailed for nine months.

Andre Castle's victim told Magistrates' Court that she's been left "emotionally scarred" by the attack.

Castle, 26, of Devonshire, pleaded guilty on Wednesday to sexual assault and uttering offensive words.

Prosecutor Brett Webber explained to Senior Magistrate Archibald Warner that Castle approached his middle-aged victim outside Cafe Gio on Water Street, St. George at 8.40 p.m. last December 12.

The woman, who did not know her attacker, was standing on the pavement reading the menu with her 19-year-old son when Castle grabbed her breast and twisted it, causing a sharp pain.

The woman confronted him, and he responded by telling her: "F**k you, I don't know you, f**k off."

The woman, who lives in Bermuda but cannot be identified for legal reasons, immediately reported the matter to the Police. Officers who happened to be nearby arrested Castle shortly afterwards.

The matter was adjourned on Wednesday, and came back to court yesterday for Castle to be sentenced. Defence lawyer Shade Subair told the Magistrate that Castle is an alcoholic.

"The defendant says he was inebriated and has no recollection of what transpired," she explained. Citing previous similar cases that have come before the courts, Ms Subair suggested that the six months Castle has spent in jail on remand has been enough to be a "short sharp shock" and he should not be given additional jail time.

However, Mr. Warner said: "The public would expect a person to be dealt with other than in the way of a short sharp shock in the light of a maximum sentence [for sexual assault] of five years."

The Magistrate also read extracts from a "victim impact statement" that the woman wrote for the court. In it, she said: "The experience has left an emotional scar on me and I feel like it will never go away. I no longer feel safe to be out after dark even in a busy place without my husband."

The woman added: "My emotions have gone from feeling very angry to very depressed and even bursting into tears unexpectedly."

Mr. Warner gave Castle credit for pleading guilty, albeit after initially pleading not guilty when he first came to court in March. He also noted that he has a previous conviction for exposing himself in public while urinating.

Meting out the nine-month sentence, he explained: "I must consider the need to protect the community from this type of offence. Sexual assault is a serious offence, especially when people are attacked on the street. It was particularly aggravating, in my view, that this woman was standing by the side of the road when she was callously assaulted in the way she was assaulted by the defendant, and society must be protected."

Castle has been in prison on remand since January 19. Mr. Warner said that in light of the nature of the offence, the time he's spent in prison so far will not be taken into account. The nine-month jail term therefore commenced yesterday.