An Afghan interpreter has been jailed after sexually assaulting a pregnant woman who he believed was trying to seduce him.

Jamshid Asif, 28, groped the woman and forced her to kiss him as she went to get in her car outside a convenience store in Colchester, Essex, the court heard.

Asif, who was given permission to settle in the UK with his wife and two children after serving with the British Army, claimed he misunderstood women's 'smiles and lipstick' as sexual advances.

Jailed: Jamshid Asif, 28, groped the woman and forced her to kiss him as she went to get in her car outside a convenience store in Colchester, Essex, Chelmsford Crown Court (pictured) heard

He was jailed for eight months and will remain on the sex offenders' register for ten years.

Chelmsford Crown Court heard Asif went looking for sex on January 4 after becoming frustrated by a 'lack of action' with his pregnant wife.

Mark Lakin, prosecuting, told the court Asif deliberately rubbed against the victim after she walked into the convenience store before following her to her car outside.

Asif first asked and then demanded the woman have sex with him, grabbing her arm before and after she got in the car.

The woman told him to stop and that she was pregnant, and Asif groped her and forced a kiss before fleeing the scene.

In a statement, the victim said: 'I already suffer from anxiety and this has made me worse. I am getting panic attacks. I feel embarrassed.

I feel so vulnerable especially being heavily pregnant. It has resulted in complications to my pregnancy. It has affected me not wanting to go out Victim statement

'I feel so vulnerable especially being heavily pregnant. It has resulted in complications to my pregnancy. It has affected me not wanting to go out.'

Asif, who suffers from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, was caught after he told mental health professionals at Colchester General Hospital what he had done.

Frank O'Toole, mitigating, told the court Asif was 'deeply ashamed' and claimed there had been a 'cultural misunderstanding' about what was acceptable.

'It is unacceptable there but grossly unacceptable here,' he said.

The court also heard interpreters are often killed by the Taliban if they remain in Afghanistan.

Judge Martyn Levett said: 'This was in a public place and you made her feel exceptionally uncomfortable. You were not satisfied just touching her but you persistently followed her to her car.

'You repeatedly questioned a mantra "do you want sex" and not satisfied by her answer you grabbed her by the arm.

Admission: Asif, who suffers from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, was caught after he told mental health professionals at Colchester General Hospital (pictured) what he had done

'You terrified her into believing she would have to co-operate and submit to your demands.'

He added: 'A woman is entitled to go about her daily life in freedom. You felt British women you saw were approaching you.

'You made assumptions because women in Colchester present themselves differently than in Afghanistan.