A MAN who sexually assaulted a teenager who had passed out in a Barnsley town centre nightclub has been jailed for four-and-a-half years.
Nicusor Botezatu, who is originally from Romania, initially denied one charge of sexual assault by penetration but changed his plea to guilty before the start of his trial at Sheffield Crown Court on Monday.
Ian Goldsack, prosecuting, said the victim - who turned 18 just days before the ‘grotesque’ attack in the early hours of December 3 of last year - had been separated from her friends and was laid on the floor of Volt, a club on Wellington Street, at just after 3.30am.
Botezatu, of Fitzwilliam Street, Barnsley, was also in the club - which contained about ten people at the time of the incident - and CCTV footage shown to Judge John Thackray QC was deemed too graphic and upsetting to be shown to the rest of the court.
Mr Goldsack said: “The complainant had turned 18 the month before the incident and was out for the evening in Barnsley town centre. She had spent time in The Corner Pin, a pub nearby the club in which the assault took place, and it’s fair to say she had consumed a considerable amount of alcohol.
“She had no recollection of the assault and was brought round in Volt after the event. The victim and the defendant did not know each other.
“Key evidence came from a member of the door staff team and a barman, who happened to be in an office where the club’s nine cameras’ footage went to. They saw two people, a man and a woman, on the floor with the male on top.
“The woman was not moving and footage showed she had been on the floor, near a DJ booth and quite out of sight, for about 15 minutes before the man came over. It was very dark and a roving spotlight picked out what happened.
“Two members of staff saw what was happening on the footage and removed the man from the premises, and sought to cover the woman up as her bra and knickers had been removed. She was still laid there, motionless, effectively unconscious.
“He was ejected and attempted to run away but was chased, tripped and apprehended about 30 metres away until police arrived and arrested him.”
DNA was taken from Botezatu, 45, who had been in the UK for about three years and this was matched to an internal examination on the victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons.
A victim personal statement, which was read out in court at Botezatu’s sentencing on Tuesday, revealed the teen is now too scared to socialise following the ‘life-changing’ incident.
“I have not been the same since,” the statement said. “My mum died from cancer in 2014 and four years later my dad was diagnosed with cancer, too. I don’t go out anymore as it scares me.
“I woke up in the club and didn’t know what had happened. No-one should have to go through a sexual assault - I was vulnerable.”
Judge Thackray described the assault as ‘grotesque’ before handing a four-and-a-half year sentence to Botezatu, who said he was ‘deeply sorry’ for the attack.
“The victim was effectively unconscious, alone and heavily intoxicated, just as she was entitled to be,” he added. “She required a kindly, good Samaritan but unfortunately she got you.
“Rather than assist her, you molested her, grotesquely using your fingers. Thankfully, due to two staff members intervening, you were stopped.
“This had a profound effect on the victim, who is now too scared to socialise, and her life has not been the same since. She was particularly vulnerable due to her circumstances.
“I do not accept that you’re genuinely remorseful and the guilty plea came very late in the day just before your trial.”
Botezatu was told he will serve half of his sentence before being released on licence.
