A security guard at a soca show who pretended to be a good Samaritan to a drunk woman but then assaulted her was jailed yesterday. Andre Victor Eugene Castle was sentenced in Supreme Court to five years, for a simple sexual assault relating to the August 2007 incident.

He pleaded guilty at a previous hearing. Crown prosecutor Auralee Cassidy told the court that the victim was attending the Byron Lee Soca Show at Tiger Bay, St. George's on August 11, 2007.

The mother-of-two went to leave the concert after about an hour but was stopped at the gate by security. Castle then came over to her aide and helped her outside. The victim, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, told Castle she was looking for a taxi to go home when the defendant said: "I can't let a lady walk home alone. I'll help you."

The pair then walked to a nearby parking lot but couldn't find an available taxi so they walked towards King's Square.

Ms Cassidy told the court Castle made sexual advances to the victim and then punched her in the face, grabbed her breast and pulled her pants and underwear off in an alley.

The 26-year-old then ran off and the victim went to the main road to find help.

She was taken to the Southside Police Station and Castle was arrested later that day. Ms Cassidy said forensic evidence matched the defendant's DNA and he had scratches all over him, caused by the victim as she tried to fight back.

"It's the Crown's humble submission that the defendant is solely to blame. It's our humble submission that the community needs to be protected from this defendant. The complainant was a lone female and the defendant pretended to be a good Samaritan," she said.

The prosecutor also said the victim, who was 43 years old at the time of the attack, recounts it every day and has struggled with finding her strength. However Castle's lawyer Sade Subair said she didn't accept this version of events. Ms Subair admitted her client made sexual advances to the victim but said he did not punch her or pull her pants and underwear off. Puisne Judge Carlisle Greaves agreed to sentence her client based on Ms Subair's version of events.

"I don't accept in the summary the references to 'the defendant punched her face with a closed fist'. I am going to ask the court for a sentence that properly accepts that this is not a rape case, not a home invasion case. I think that we all agree that he needs rehabilitation for excessive alcohol. Slapping blocks of years of prison at Mr. Castle doesn't help anyone. It doesn't help society. He is a classic example of someone who is in desperate need of a full probation order."

Before sentencing, Castle said: "I would just like to apologise to the court, to the young lady and my family. I am very remorseful for my actions."

Castle admitted in a separate case in July, to grabbing a woman's breast outside of Café Gio in St. George's while she was with her autistic son. He received a nine-month sentence for that offence.

Said Mr. Justice Greaves: "This is a defendant that needs to be seriously put through a sexual offenders programme before he becomes worse."

He sentenced Castle to five years in prison and three years' probation.