A woman's New Year's Eve celebrations turned into a "nightmare" when another reveller cynically spotted a good opportunity to assault her sexually because of the large amount of alcohol that she had drunk.
Crafty and brazen Mark Regan took advantage of the "quite drunk" state that she was in and he made the "appalling" decision to touch her intimately when she was later drifting in and out of sleep at a flat.
The shocking incident had "shattered" the woman and it had taken away her "joy, energy and sparkle" in life so that she no longer even recognised herself in the mirror, Hull Crown Court heard.
Regan, 55, of Holderness Road, east Hull, admitted an offence of assault by penetration on December 31, 2022.
Hannah Turner, prosecuting, said that Regan and others were celebrating New Year's Eve with drinks at bars in Newland Avenue, west Hull. "They got there at approximately 7.30pm and went to a bar where they all consumed alcohol," said Miss Turner.
"At around 9 to 9.30pm, they went to Vox Box, another bar located on Newland Avenue."
A woman in her 30s, who was at the bar, described herself as being "merry" when she and others arrived at Vox Box but she said that she was not "drunk". The people there were having a "normal" night and were laughing, joking and drinking.
She later became nauseous after drinking shots of Tequila and she was sick in a toilet. "As a result of this, she was asked to leave the premises by security staff," said Miss Turner.
"She got into a taxi outside the venue and the defendant got into the taxi with her." The woman later fell asleep after she arrived at a flat and lay on a bed.
She heard Regan tell her: "You're a silly girl. Do you need an ambulance?" He touched her chest and told her: "Oh, you're breathing but you're really shallow breathing. I can't leave you."
She felt Regan kiss her. He then intimately touched her for about 30 seconds. He took his hand away but began kissing her and intimately touching her again. She became more alert and he stopped what he was doing. "She describes feeling that she was present in the room but that she wasn't there and wasn't able to move or say anything to the defendant," said Miss Turner.
Regan left the flat and the woman contacted the police. About 45 seconds later, Regan let himself back in to the flat and he asked the woman if she was okay. "She asked him to leave her alone and he left the flat again," said Miss Turner.
Police attended and the woman was seen to be severely shaken up, distraught and crying a lot. She was taken to the home of friends, where she stayed the night.
Regan claimed during police interview that he and the woman started kissing when they arrived at the flat and one thing led to another. He confirmed that the woman was falling in and out of sleep.
"He stated that he realised that what he was doing was wrong so he didn't go any further and left," said Miss Turner. Regan had convictions for four previous unrelated offences between 1999 and 2022.
The woman later said in a statement that she had been celebrating an exciting new chapter in her life at the time and she had been hopeful for the future while at the New Year's Eve event.
"My life, so full of promise, is now a blur," she said. "It turned into a nightmare. It has shattered me and left me broken.
"I used to be a bubbly, outgoing person and I loved meeting people but now I do not recognise myself. My joy, energy and sparkle feels lost. My world has shrunk."
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The woman said that the incident had caused an impact on her career. "I have lost the ability to trust people and suffer from anxiety and depression," she added.
"When I look at myself in the mirror, I don't recognise myself but see a stranger whose life has been turned upside down."
Michael Masson, mitigating, said that the offence happened nearly two years ago. "There has been no hint of this behaviour since or before," said Mr Masson.
"He has made appalling choices. He offers his sincere remorse for the impact on the complainant. It was a relatively short-lived incident."
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Regan had not been to prison before and sending him there now would have an immediate impact on his elderly parents, for whom he cared. There was a positive pre-sentence report on him.
Judge John Thackray KC told Regan: "She was socialising and drinking alcohol and got quite drunk, as she is entitled to do. You saw that as an opportunity to sexually abuse her."
The incident lasted about 30 seconds. "It is the violation that is significant, not the length of time," said Judge Thackray." The woman had shown tremendous courage in contacting the police but she might never recover from the offence.
Regan, who had been on bail, was jailed for three years and nine months. He will have to register as a sex offender indefinitely.
