Scott Francis Martin, the man convicted of serious sexual assault against a woman last October, was sentenced to 11 years in prison for a crime that struck "fear and terror into the hearts of women".

At least one daughter of the single father of three was present at the Supreme Court sentencing yesterday.

The woman he attacked was also present, visibly shaking.

When the sentence was pronounced, there were no visible tears in the courtroom. However Scott Martin's daughters paused in their desperate rush from the room to allow their visibly angry father to kiss them as he was taken away.

When guards moved to hurry him along, Martin swore at them, saying: "Let me kiss my f***king daughters."

Crown counsel Vinette Graham-Allen told the court that Martin has a history of violence beginning in 1982. This was his first sexual offence.

"The accused had every intention of doing some harm," Ms Graham-Allen said.

"He pursued her because he was not successful in his first attempt," she added, noting that this indicated a plan of some sort, as did the facts that Martin attacked the woman from behind, dragged her to the ground and pulled her into the drive where he assaulted her.

Ms Graham-Allen also cited several other cases similar to Ms Simmons, observing that courts, in punishing crimes of this nature, issued jail terms in the range of 10 to 18 years. The maximum sentence for sexual assault is 30 years imprisonment.

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