A DRUNK and drugged up sex attacker who assaulted a woman in a pizza takeaway has been jailed for a total of 15 months.

John Burns, 43, followed his victim before seizing her from behind at the counter and thrusting his hand down her leggings and pants, Bradford Crown Court heard.

Burns, of Ovenden Road, Halifax, pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting the woman, who was a complete stranger to him, on November 1, 2017.

Prosecutor Tom Storey said that Burns was in breach of a suspended jail sentence for blackmail.

He followed his victim along the street at night, calling her beautiful and sexy, the court was told today.

When she went into Pizza King, on Ovenden Road, he struck while she was at the counter waiting for her food.

She ran out of the takeaway and her female friend kicked Burns.

In her victim impact statement, the woman said her life had been horrible since.

She now avoided physical contact and said she cried when she recalled the attack.

Giles Bridge said in mitigation that Burns had learning difficulties and was misusing alcohol and drugs at the time. His behaviour on the night was completely irrational and he had no recollection of molesting the woman.

Judge Colin Burn said that only an immediate custodial sentence was appropriate for such a serious case.

Burns had behaved in a “bizarre and threatening way” before committing the serious sexual assault.

He had been “completely out of it” after a history of heavy and sustained alcohol and class A drug use.

Burns was jailed for nine months for the sexual assault with six months of the suspended sentence activated consecutively.