A CAR wash worker has been jailed after groping a shocked female customer.

Bolton Crown Court heard how Nikolas Lakatos began flirting with the woman, who had taken her vehicle to the Wash 4 You car wash in Wigan at 3pm on June 11 last year.

But Lakatos, of Edgmont Avenue, Bolton, had more on his mind than cleaning her car and sexually assaulted her.

Nigel Booth, prosecuting, told the court how the woman and Lakatos had a discussion about prices, but as she removed her property from the vehicle he asked her if the car belonged to her husband or boyfriend.

After she told him the car was hers he continued by telling the woman, who was wearing shorts, that she had nice eyes and touched a tattoo on her leg.

He ran his hand up her leg, under her shorts and underwear and touched her private parts.

“He then removed his hand and asked her if she liked sex,” said Mr Booth.

He added that the woman was “shocked and frightened” and told 22-year-old Lakatos that she had to go to the cash machine.

But as she went to sit in the driver’s seat he touched her thigh again.

A colleague saw what was happening and called Lakatos away. Police were called and Lakatos was arrested.

In a victim statement, read out in court, the woman told how she has been badly affected, suffers anxiety and depression and has even tried to commit suicide.

“Since the time of the incident I am a completely different person,” she said., adding that she ended a relationship because of what happened to her and now does not trust men.

Lakatos was charged with the offence but did not turn up to court, heading back to his home country of Slovakia instead.

The court heard he stayed there for more than five months, with Lakatos claiming he was visiting his sick grandfather, but was caught when he came back to England.

He pleaded guilty to sexual assault and failing to surrender to court.

Neil Usher, defending, admitted: "He took an opportunity to touch and assault this lady and it is a serious offence."

He told how Lakatos, a father-of-two who lives with his partner and mother and has learning difficulties, came to England six years ago and has been working at the hand car wash for four years.

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"During that time he would have cleaned, one imagines, hundreds of cars of women and there has never been a complaint before.

"It was a fleeting assault, not one that was sustained. Thankfully, his co-worker noticed the defendant behaving inappropriately and he desisted. He does appreciate the impact his actions have had on his victim and he wishes to apologize."

Sentencing Lakatos to 11 months in prison, Judge Graeme Smith told him: "You began flirting with [the woman] and without any encouragement or consideration, you went way beyond that.

"Your sexual touching of her was a serious infringement of her personal dignity. As a result of that she has suffered very serious consequences."

Lakatos was also placed on the sex offenders' register for 10 years.