A farmer from Ruan Minor said he "felt sick" when he realised he had put his hand up a woman's skirt while queueing for food at Helston Grill on a drunken night out.

Magistrates in Truro heard that the case would most likely have never got to court had Stephen George Bosustow apologised straight away. Unfortunately this had not happened and the woman had reported it to the police.

Bosustow, who lives on a farm with his family in Ruan Minor, told magistrates that being shown the video by police when he was sober made him feel ill.

He said in court: "I am deeply sorry for it. I couldn't believe it when I saw the video in the police station that morning, that I actually did it.

"I felt sick straight away that I could put somebody in a position like that, to be violated and feel dirty. If somebody had done that to my wife I don't think anybody would have held me back.

"I can't apologise enough for not apologising on the night, just having had too much to drink."

The 39-year-old had already pleaded guilty at an earlier court hearing, to sexually touching a woman without her consent, an on Monday returned for sentencing.

Prosecutor Alison May said it was in the early morning of March 23 that Bosustow had been queuing, with friends, behind the woman in Helston Grill kebab shop. The men were "clearly under the influence" of alcohol.

"He is described by her as coming up close behind her, grabbing her under her bottom and with his finger he touched her [intimate area] over her clothing,"

"She turns and challenges him, shouts 'How dare you do that?' She says he made her feel disgusting. She said the whole room went silent for a moment.

"The men with him were also laughing. She was upset and angry - her husband also," said Mrs May.

The victim spoke to a police officer outside and there was a suggestion that if there had been an apology straight away it would have resolved the matter.

"He wasn't in a position or prepared to do that," said Mrs May.

His solicitor Dieter Kehler stressed that Bosustow had no previous convictions and was a man of previous good character, with chairman of the magistrates Mark Pilgrim also referring to a number of letters and testimonials supporting Bosustow that showed "clearly there's a lot of very good people out there who think of you well."

Mr Kehler said Bosustow was "not in his normal lucid state" that night and this would this would have "had an extremely negative impact on his willingness to apologise there and then."

As a farmer who worked long and unpredictable hours in the beef and mutton industry to support his family, Mr Kehler said if Bosustow was to receive a community order of significant length this would have more of a negative impact on him than for many other people.

Sentencing Bosustow to a 12-month community order with 100 hours of unpaid work, magistrates chair Mr Pilgrim said: "We do note your good character and that this is the first and probably the last time you'll ever appear to be sentenced by a court of law."

Bosustow was also ordered to pay costs of £85, an £85 victim surcharge and £500 in compensation to his victim.