A 'dangerous' offender has been locked up for three years and two months after following a teenage girl for half a mile before carrying out a violent and determined sexual assault on her.

Callum Lawson, 19, was labelled a public danger by Judge Andrew Hatton when he sentenced him at Bradford Crown Court today on a video link to HMP Doncaster where he was remanded.

Lawson, of Cartmel Road, Keighley, pursued the teenage girl “determinedly and purposefully” through the town before attacking her in a secluded spot.

He shoved his hand up his victim’s skirt, causing her to stumble forward and leaving her with severe psychological damage.

Lawson pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting the girl and to two offences of assaulting paramedics on July 11 last year.

Prosecutor Chloe Hudson said he was seen on CCTV following the girl for half a mile before taking a detour and jogging up to attack her.

He then ran off but was apprehended in February last year after an anonymous call to Crimestoppers.

He denied the offence telling investigating officers he wasn’t a pervert.

In her victim personal statement, the girl said she now lived in fear that she was being followed. The attack had caused her family huge stress and both her mental and physical health had suffered.

The assaults on the paramedics happened when they were attending to Lawson who was unconscious on a sofa at an address in Back Rupert Street, Keighley, at 10pm on July 11 last year.

The court heard he was surrounded by empty beer cans and syringes and became aggressive when he woke while they were carrying out health checks.

He pushed one paramedic, threw objects round the room and caused a defibrillator machine to fall, hitting the second emergency worker on the leg.

His barrister, Samreen Akhtar, said the sexual assault happened when he was 17. He was living in a hostel at the time and drinking to excess.

He was also downing large amounts of alcohol when he assaulted the paramedics.

Lawson had six previous convictions for nine offences, including house burglary, criminal damage, battery, and assaulting a police constable.

Judge Hatton sentenced him to 32 months’ detention in a young offender institution for the sexual assault with six months to run consecutively for assaulting the paramedics.

Lawson must sign on the sex offender register for life and a Sexual Harm Prevention Order, also for life, prohibits him from contacting the girl or following or approaching any unaccompanied female without proper excuse.

“I’m satisfied that you are dangerous and there is a real and significant risk to members of the public,” Judge Hatton said.