A LANCASHIRE PE teacher who sneaked into a house and sexually assaulted a stranger as she slept next to her boyfriend has been jailed.

'Intoxicated' Richard Duffy, 32, of The Crossings, Hoghton, went into the woman's bedroom and gave her 'smothering' kisses on her cheek and neck.

The woman, who had been out drinking at a charity event at Hoghton Tower, stirred, but thought it was her boyfriend and even reached out and put her arms around Duffy.

But when Duffy – who taught at Primet High School, Colne - began touching her intimately and saying 'Oh yeah, oh yeah', she began to realise from his local accent that it was not her partner.

Duffy calmly left the bedroom, went down the stairs and closed the door, with the victim's boyfriend in quick pursuit, the court heard.

But when he searched the area, there was no sign of the attacker.

Today Duffy was jailed for six years.

Francis McEntee, prosecuting, said the woman was able to give police a description of clothing which was later found at Duffy's home address.

His fingerprints were found on the wall and door where he was leaning over her bed and DNA from his kisses on her cheek gave detectives a match.

Duffy was already on the police database from an assault conviction in 1998.

The incident happened between 5am and 6am on July 4, and PE teacher Duffy was arrested at school on July 8 after pupils had left for the day.

He pleaded guilty on September 27 at Preston Crown Court.

Mr McEntee told the court that Duffy was a stranger to the victim and she wanted to know why this had happened. She has been affected badly by the attack, the court heard.

Defending, Ian Whitehurst, admitted the offence 'beggared belief' and said Duffy only had 'partial recollection' of events because of his drunken state at the time.

Father-of-one Duffy, who is separated from his wife, had sent the judge a long letter setting out his 'remorse and consciousness' of what he had done.

Mr Whitehurst added that his client's career – to which he was 'devoted' and had 'some talent in that field' – was destroyed.

Judge Anthony Hammond told a tearful Duffy: “Your career is wrecked, your good name is lost and you will spend a lot of time living this down.”

Duffy, who was a promising footballer having previously played for Accrington Stanley reserves, must sign the sex offenders' register for life.

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