Ditchingham man placed on sex offenders list for groping woman

A man who touched a woman’s bottom during a drunken encounter has failed to persuade a court not to place him on the sex offenders’ register. Damien Duncan, aged 32, touched the woman, whom he had never met before, while visiting a female friend unannounced at her home on Thorpe Road in Norwich. He was found guilty at Norwich Magistrates' Court of sexual assault. Duncan had arrived at the property in April 2022 while intoxicated and refused to leave. During the incident, he groped the other woman when her friend stepped out to call the police. Sally Harris, prosecuting, stated that Duncan had been drunk at the time of the incident and had grabbed the woman. The court was told he pleaded guilty to sexual assault. Rachel Buck, his mitigation, mentioned that Duncan had since addressed his alcohol issues and urged the magistrates to keep any sentence below 12 months to avoid the stigma of being on the sex offenders’ register. She also said it was "to his credit that he has shown insight into the way the victim must have felt." Duncan was sentenced to an 18-month community order, which includes rehabilitation requirements and an alcohol monitoring tag for 90 days. The sentence now subjects him to sex offender notification requirements.