James Scott approached a woman who was not known to him in the St James’s Street area of Brighton.
Witnesses then saw the 45-year-old sexually assault the vulnerable victim, who cannot be identified for legal reasons.
Witnesses said the victim, a woman in her 20s, was in a vulnerable position during the incident at about 11am on June 7.
Scott was seen grabbing the woman and trying to stand her up before giving her alcohol.
He sexually assaulted her while she was not fully conscious and without her consent, and when confronted by witnesses he claimed the victim was his girlfriend.
But the two had not previously met.
The victim received support from specially-trained officers after she was taken to hospital following the incident.
Scott, of no fixed address, stood trial at Lewes Crown Court in December and was found guilty of three counts of sexual assault.
He was acquitted of one count of attempted rape.
On December 5, he was sentenced to 18 months in prison for the offences.
Speaking after the case, Detective Inspector Kirstie Neal said: “This was a distressing incident on a vulnerable victim that was witnessed in full view of witnesses.
“First of all I would like to thank the victim for her support for our investigation, we were determined to get justice in this case.
“I also want to thank all the witnesses who challenged Scott, supported the victim, and contacted the police to ensure swift action could be taken.
“We take reports of sexual offences extremely seriously and we understand the concern that this case caused.
“So we are pleased that a dangerous offender has received a custodial sentence and has been taken off our streets.
“We encourage all victims of sexual assault to report their experience to us.”
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