Sportsman groped woman with 'sense of entitlement'

The court heard Dion Aiye was easily identifiable as he was wearing a pink cowboy hat at the time of the assault

A rugby league player who groped a woman in a nightclub has been ordered to sign the sex offenders register.

Carlisle Crown Court heard Dion Aiye approached her in a bar, moving his arms around the sides of her body before stroking her breasts.

Aiye, 37, was suspended by his club, Whitehaven, and then sacked when he admitted a charge of sexual assault last month.

The offence occurred at a venue in the town called Shakers in May, just weeks after he was given a community order for assaulting his former partner and harassing her.

Prosecutor Gerard Richardson told the court in Carlisle that Aiye had been easily identifiable after the 01:00 GMT nightclub assault "as he was wearing a pink cowboy hat and a T-shirt".

'Public figure'

The woman was seen looking "somewhat shaken" by a friend in the aftermath and door staff were alerted.

"She had never experienced anything like this before," said Mr Richardson.

She was also left wary of bumping into Aiye again as he was "quite a public figure, playing for the town's rugby league team".

Marion Weir, mitigating, said Aiye, of Richmond Terrace, Whitehaven, had committed no further offences since May.

"It was a relatively short-lived incident when the complainant, the victim, turned around and asked him to stop. He did so. That was the end of the matter," she told the court.

"He was put out of the premises. From his point of view, this was a stupid decision, made in drink, which he bitterly regrets. He clearly appreciates the impact on the victim has been significant."

Career 'in peril'

Aiye, from Papua New Guinea, was awaiting the outcome of the court proceedings before learning whether the visa which granted him entry to the UK remained in place.

His rugby future, suggested Ms Weir, was "in peril".

Imposing an 18-month community order, Judge Michael Fanning said Aiye's behaviour must have been "down to a sense of entitlement".

"I don't know whether it is because you are a sportsman or whether it is because you were in drink," he added.

As well as completing 200 hours of community service, Aiye must sign the sex offenders register for five years.