A Borehamwood man has been sentenced after pleading guilty to a sexual assault at a hotel in Hertfordshire.
Paul Davison, aged 46, from Kenilworth Drive, was staying at the hotel in October 2020 and had visited the reception desk during the early hours, requesting to change rooms as his heating wasn’t working.
Due to an error, Davison was given a key to a new room which staff mistakenly believed to be vacant.
Upon entering the room, Davison found a woman aged in her 20s, asleep in bed.
He initially went back to his old room, before returning to the victim’s room less than 10 minutes later.
She then woke to find Davison licking her feet.
The victim was so destressed that she fell as she tried to run away, sustaining an injury to her knee. She managed to get to the reception desk, where police were immediately called and Davison was arrested.
He repeatedly denied the allegations, before pleading guilty during a pre-trial preparation hearing.
On Friday, July 23, Davison was sentenced to nine months imprisonment, suspended for one year at St Albans Crown Court and placed on the sex offenders’ register for 10 years. He was also ordered to pay compensation to the victim, complete 100 hours unpaid work and attend specialist rehabilitation programmes.
In addition, a restraining order was put in place, banning him from contacting the victim.
Investigator Kay Leverton, who led the investigation, said: “This incident has, understandably, been very traumatic for the victim. I’m pleased that the early guilty plea has at least spared her the ordeal of having to relive the assault at trial. She has been extremely brave throughout this process and I hope the court result has given her some closure.
“Davison’s actions on that day were truly horrific, targeting a woman in her sleep who had every right to believe she was safe. He took advantage of the situation to act on his sexual urges, rather than walk away.
“I hope this serves as a warning to people that sexual assault can take many forms and that offenders will face serious consequences.”
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