A vulnerable woman left in turmoil after the break-up of her marriage was sexually assaulted by a van driver who picked her up as she tried to get home from hospital.

The distraught 55-year-old victim discharged herself and was walking on a main road in her nightwear when she was targeted by Thomas Hartley, who had been cruising around the area in his white van.

Hartley, 59, of Cemetery Road, Lidget Green, Bradford, who pleaded guilty to sexual assault, was jailed for five years and four months at Bradford Crown Court yesterday.

Prosecutor Anthony Kelbrick said the victim’s marriage had broken up the week before the offence in June and her estranged husband had been to the matrimonial home to collect his belongings.

She was very upset and had drunk three-quarters of a bottle of wine.

A concerned friend alerted police.

The woman threatened to take tablets and she was taken to hospital.

Mr Kelbrick said: “Unfortunately for her she didn’t stay at hospital, but left almost immediately.

“She was dressed in her nightwear, dressing gown and slippers.”

The prosecutor said Hartley – who had a previous caution for persistently soliciting a woman for prostitution – offered her a lift, thinking he might be able to have a sexual encounter.

He put his hand on her knee, but removed it after she asked him to.

But grey-haired, balding Hartley put his hand on her thigh and indecently assaulted her.

He then drove her to an isolated lane where he carried out further sexual assaults.

The victim managed to get out of the van and flee and Hartley drove away.

Police traced the van and Hartley matched the woman’s description and was arrested.

He accepted touching her knee to see how far he could get and told police he thought he had the consent of the victim and could not see he had done anything wrong.

His solicitor, Simon Hustler, said Hartley’s son had disowned him, his friends had deserted him and his wife had left him after 26 years of marriage.

Judge Shaun Spencer QC told Hartley he had created those problems by the commission of the offence.

The judge said that, by his guilty plea, the defendant accepted the assault was without consent and he had minimised the offence.

He said the victim had some domestic turmoil and was vulnerable.

Judge Spencer said: “Had you driven her home, you would have been entitled to credit for a charitable act. But you saw her as presenting an opportunity of trying it on sexually.”

He added: “Understandably, she is having great difficulty in getting over this offence which she sees, and rightly, as a gross violation.”

The judge granted a restraining order, under the Harassment Act, preventing the defendant contacting the victim.

After the case, Detective Constable Andy Cullingford, of Airedale and North Bradford CID, said: “Hartley targeted a clearly vulnerable victim and the seriousness of the offence has been reflected in the substantial sentence.”