A political refugee has been jailed for sexually attacking an au pair on her way home from a night out.

A jury at York Crown Court found Kurdish activist Ali Kiran guilty of sexual assault on a 20-year-old woman to whom he had offered a lift.

The court heard at the time of the attack Kiran had been working in a fast food store, Yummy Chicken, in York city centre.

He served chips to the woman and as she walked home he offered her a lift. They got out of his car near her home and Kiran, 31, tried to push her up a dark driveway. As the indecent assault took place, the woman's screams for help alerted people nearby and he fled in his car.

On hearing that the authorities had no plans to deport Kiran, Judge David Bentley QC said: "Some may take the view we have quite enough sex offenders of our own without taking in those from abroad."

He jailed Kiran, formerly of Horner Street, Clifton and now of Newlands Road, London, for 18 months and put him on the sex offenders' register for ten years.

Judge Bentley said: "One can only be thankful her cries for help were heard. At that time of the morning, there was no certainty that they would be. One just wonders how much further matters would have gone if these public-spirited individuals not been passing by at that time."

Kiran has previous UK convictions for invading the Turkish embassy and the offices of a Turkish newspaper in anti-Turkish demonstrations.

His barrister, Diane Nixon, said he and his family had come to England in 1991 aged 17 because his father-in-law was involved in anti-government protests in his native country.

Two sisters, who came to the woman's aid, are to get a £50 reward each.

Updated: 09:52 Saturday, April 16, 2005