REPEAT SEX OFFENDER JAILED FOR SEXUAL ASSAULT
Conor Hodgkins, a repeat sex offender currently held at HMP Winchester, has been sentenced to prison after claiming that his conduct—soliciting oral sex from an unknown woman and aggressively grabbing her—did not amount to sexual assault.The 35-year-old, who is without a fixed residence, appeared at the Isle of Wight Crown Court via video link on June 12, following a guilty verdict on charges of sexual assault.
It was revealed during the court hearing that Hodgkins targeted a woman on Winston Churchill Avenue in Portsmouth around 5:30 pm on July 7 of last year.
Prosecutor Gary Venturi explained that Hodgkins had followed the woman and initiated contact by making sexual noises.
He then increased his pace, grabbed her shoulders aggressively and told her: "I want to f**k you." The woman was left frightened and tried to fight him off, with passing motorists stopping to assist her.
Hodgkins then fled the scene.
The court was told Hodgkins has 42 previous convictions for 90 offences, including a previous sexual assault in 2015, and had breached court restrictions on three occasions.
Hodgkins, whose last known address was in Southsea, represented himself and denied the offence, claiming the prosecutor was lying.
He told the court the woman was "wearing a short skirt" and that he had asked her for oral sex after she "looked his way," but she did not answer and "carried on walking." He admitted being under the influence of drugs at the time but claimed he only put his arm around her and did not grab her shoulders.
Hodgkins said: "I just want to put it all past me now.
I have been in jail for 12 months.
I have never stalked anyone in my life." He also denied his previous sexual assault conviction in 2015, telling the court he had merely "pushed a woman by the chest" who was "harassing" him.
Judge David Melville rejected Hodgkins’ account and sentenced him to 15 months in prison.
However, due to time already spent on remand since July 2025, the judge said Hodgkins had "almost certainly served his sentence already" and is expected to be released shortly.
A ten-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) was also imposed.
Hodgkins was told he cannot approach unknown women, engage in sexual activity in public, or behave in a way that could cause harassment, alarm or distress.
