Main: Another Court Defeat |
A
City lawyer, who repeatedly slapped a woman’s bum after drenching
her in beer while calling her an “Australian slut”, has failed in
a bid to have his sentence cut.
Alastair
Main, 35, who has rowed competitively for England, pursued her into
the ladies toilet at The London Rowing Club’s Christmas dinner to
carry-out the sex attack as she tried to clean herself up.
He
was sentenced at Wimbledon Magistrates Court to a twelve-month
community order and must sign the sex offenders register for five
years.
He
was also slapped with a five-year restraining order, prohibiting him
from contacting the victim.
However,
Main – a former captain at the club – appealed the sentence at
Kingston-upon-Thames Crown Court, but his attempt to reduce it was
dismissed, landing him with a £260 bill for extra court costs.
Prosecutor
Mr. Paul Douglas told the original trial: “The defendant followed
her into the ladies toilet, where she had gone to clean herself up,
having had a beer thrown over her by the defendant.
“He
pulled her hair and pulled up her skirt and smacked her approximately
five times on the backside.
“There
is further CCTV footage of a light tap to the bottom on the stairs as
she was leaving the premises.”
This
followed an earlier incident that left the 27 year-old woman in fear
of Main, who attended £30,000 a year Oratory School, Reading.
Two
days after his conviction he was sacked by his global asset
management firm employers, who he joined having previously worked for
Coutts private bank.
“The
beer was poured over her and she was cowering in the office,” said
Mr. Douglas. “The defendant is behaving in an aggressive and
intimidating way.
London Rowing Club |
“He
walks out and repeatedly calls her an: ‘Australian slut’ and
pursues her and assaults her again.”
The
woman told the court she snubbed Main at the bar when he asked for a
hug. “He was kind of leaning on the bar, like he was trying to be
affectionate.”
She
told him: “I don’t think so,” and after hearing her plans to
continue the evening with another woman he said: “Off to find some
men are we?”
The
woman told the court: “His demeanour had changed, something had
snapped and there was an anger about him.
“He
told me to: ‘Get the f*** out’ and at that point Mr. Main poured
a beer over me.
“I
was drenched, my hair was so wet. In my handbag, my scarf. He called
me an: ‘Australian slut.’
“I
knew I was going to have to walk back through the room so tied my
hair up so it wouldn’t be so obvious.
“There
were other members of the club standing in the doorway. I remember
feeling humiliated.
“I
didn’t want a scene in front of the members. I was terrified he
would cause a scene, particularly after calling me an: ‘Australian
slut.’”
A
member’s wife tried to tell the woman it was a “wonderful
evening” as she tried to flee Main, she said.
“I
was hoping she would not notice my hair was wet and make-up running
down my face.
“Mr.
Main came up behind me and pulled my hair and pushed me forward.
“I
went to the bathroom to fix myself up. I could hear heavy footsteps
coming into the ladies bathroom.
“He
appeared and said: ‘Where do you think you’re going?’ He called
me a slut again, I don’t remember having breath to say anything
because of shock.
“He
was pulling my hair, slapping my head and pushing me around.
“He
pulled my skirt up, calling me a slut and asking me if I was wearing
any knickers.”
She
said the slaps to her bottom occurred before her dress was pulled up
by Main and she only escaped momentarily when another woman came into
the toilet.
“He
was slapping me as I tried to get down the stairs and out of the
building. My bottom my thighs.”
She
told the court a pal of Main’s pulled him off her outside and she
kicked-off her shoes to flee.
He
continued calling her “slut”, she added and shouted: “You’d
better start running ‘cos I’m coming for you.”
Main
later messaged her: “It was totally unacceptable, I realise that. I
need to sort my life out and stop ruining yours.”
Main,
who shares a £900,000 detached home with his wife Rebecca in Cobham
Road, Kingston-upon-Thames, always denied the claims.
He
was found guilty of one count of sexually assaulting the woman at the
club in Embankment, Putney on December 12, last year and the racially
aggravated assault of the woman on the same occasion.
Married
Main joined the London Rowing Club (LRC) during the 2005/05 season
after rowing competitively for Nottingham University, Notts &
Union and Britannia Boat Club.
He
was elected captain for the 2013/14 season.
Six-foot
plus Main was a national champion in 2003 and represented England at
that year’s Home International Regatta.
He
retired from competitive rowing in 2006, having won the Thames Cup at
the Henley Royal Regatta.
Main
is a graduate of the University of Nottingham and Nottingham Law
School.
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