Jail sentence for man (63) who sexually assaulted 20-year-old worker in a shop in Ballymena
A 63-year-old who sexually assaulted a 20-year-old shop assistant in Ballymena has been given a four months prison sentence.
Dimitar Ismailov Iliev, of Princes Street in Ballymena, committed the offence in a shop where he was a customer on September 21 last year.
He was in the dock at Ballymena Magistrates Court on Thursday where he had the assistance of a Bulgarian language interpreter.
The defendant was in court for sentencing after previously being convicted of the charge which he had contested.
A prosecutor said a staff member was approached by a customer who asked about goods.
The prosecutor added: "There was a very brief conversation and then he has walked directly up to her and grabbed her left breast before running his hand across her chest and grabbing her right arm. Following this he asked the victim if he could take a picture of her. He then exits the store."
The incident was captured on CCTV.
A defence barrister said the defendant, a Bulgarian national, had been in Northern Ireland since last July. The barrister accepted it was a "serious matter".
District Judge Nigel Broderick said: "Any sexual assault is a very serious matter."
He said aggravating features in the case were that the victim was a shop attendant who "should have felt safe in her place of work".
The judge said a Victim Impact Statement showed the complainant has been "emotionally traumatised as a result of this incident".
Judge Broderick said it had been a conviction after a contest and the victim had to "go through the trauma of giving evidence".
Handing down a four months prison term the judge also made the defendant the subject of a one-year Restraining Order. The defendant is also barred from entering the shop in question.
Bail in the sum of £500 was fixed for appeal.