A YOUNG man is facing a lengthy prison sentence after he admitted carrying out a sex attack on a 75-year-old woman.

Stephen William Hawes, 25, assaulted the pensioner in the doorway of her home in the Micklegate area of York on Sunday March 6. A passer-by heard her screams for help and rushed to her aid.

Hawes, no fixed address, initially denied the charge but changed his plea to guilty to sexual assault on the day of his trial.

He continues to deny a charge of trespass with intent to commit a sexual offence and that is expected to be left on file, which means it will appear on his criminal record, but not as a conviction.

Judge Jonathan Rose adjourned his case so a pre-sentence report can be prepared.

He said: “A significant custodial sentence is inevitable.

Hawes was remanded in custody. He will be sentenced at York Crown Court in July.

For Hawes, Mark McKone said he had a longstanding problem with alcohol.