A man has been jailed for two years and six months for the sexual assault of a woman in Sefton.

Paul Wright, 42, of Thomas Street, in Widnes, was jailed yesterday, Wednesday 10 April, at Liverpool Crown Court after being found guilty of sexual assault.

The incident occurred on 29th December 2022, when Wright sexually assaulted a woman inside a hotel room in the Sefton area.

During the investigation, Wright travelled to Thailand and a warrant was issued for his arrest. He was arrested on 17th January 2024 after returning to the UK.

Detective Constable Chris Condliff, who led the investigation, said: “I would like to praise the courage and dignity shown by the victim throughout the investigation. This sentencing shows that violence against women and girls in any form will simply not be tolerated and we will work tirelessly to bring perpetrators to justice.

“While no sentence will repair the damage that Wright inflicted his victim that night, I hope this sentencing will not only provide her with justice, but also encourage other victims to come forward and have the confidence in us as a police force to take reports seriously and ultimately ensure offenders are put before the courts.

“We are committed to protecting victims of sexual offences, and anyone who reports an incident to us will be safeguarded and supported throughout the investigation by Specially Trained Officers and Sexual Violence Advocates who will provide all the relevant support.

“Anyone that has been a victim of a sexual offence, is concerned for the safety of someone they know or suspects someone to be engaging in this criminal activity, should come forward and speak to us.

“We have a team of dedicated staff who will expertly and compassionately deal with your reports and we will do everything we can to bring offenders to justice.

“We take all such reports extremely seriously, and work with partner organisations such as Victim care Support Service and RASA who are there to support victims if this crime.”

To report a sexual offence call 101 where you will be spoken to by specially trained officers or you can pass information to Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

If you’ve been affected by sexual violence of any kind, support is available through the Police and Crime Commissioner’s Victim Care Merseyside service delivered jointly by two registered charities. In Liverpool, Sefton and Wirral, support is provided by Rape and Sexual Abuse Support (RASA) Merseyside who are available on 0151 558 1801 and, in St Helens and Knowsley, by the Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Centre (RASASC) Cheshire and Merseyside who can be contacted on 01925 221 546 or 0330 363 0063.

For women who have felt or feel unsafe in public spaces the Home Office has set up a service (StreetSafe | Police.uk (www.police.uk) for anyone to anonymously report public places where they have felt or feel unsafe, because of environmental issues, eg street lighting, abandoned buildings or vandalism and/or because of some behaviours, eg being followed or verbally abused.