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A woman who tried to get an ex into bed and then throttled her when she said no has walked free from court.

Jesamine Hearsum stripped naked and held the woman prisoner for more than an hour in a sexual assault where she also threatened the victim with a knife.

Hearsum, 32, of Stroud, Gloucester, forced her hand into the terrified woman's underwear and battered her around the head during a horrific attack on July 29 this year.

At Gloucester Crown Court the attacker admitted falsely imprisoning and sexually assaulting the woman.

She also admitted assaulting the woman by beating and she pleaded guilty to harassing her after the incident by sending numerous texts and Facebook messages.

Judge Jamie Tabor QC today sentenced her to two years prison suspended for two years and placed her under supervision for the same period.

He also imposed a three-year restraining order banning Hearsum from contacting the woman - and he ordered Hearsum to sign the sex offender registeer for the next ten years.

The court previously heard how Hearsum had once been in a relationship with the woman but it ended in February this year.

Despite this, the two women had remained friendly and when the vicious attacker called her ex in July claiming to need her support over a new relationship, the victim agreed and met Hearsum.

Prosecutor Julian Kesner told the court Hearsum had been drinking and after a trip to the pub, the two went back to the attacker's home where she locked her ex inside and asked the victim to sleep with her.

Mr Kesner said: "The defendant was acting in a bizarre way. She took all her clothes off and asked the lady for a kiss. This was again declined. She tried to grab a kiss from the victim by attempting to pull her jaw towards her. She was not successful.

"From there matters degenerated. She started to strangle the victim who appears to have started to slump and lose consciousness. At that point the defendant stopped.

"The victim was in tears. The defendant put her clothes back on then attacked the victim again, grabbing her by the clothes and grabbing her breasts and undoing her jeans.

"She under the jeans and attempted to pull them down. It was during that attack that the defendant pushed her hand inside the victim's trousers and knickers."

The victim managed to contact her new boyfriend on her phone and asked him to call the police - at which point Hearsum saw her using the device and launched another attack, punching her around the head.

Mr Kesner said: "She then went into the kitchen and returned with a knife with a serrated edge. She threatened the victim with it."

Luckily police soon arrived at which point Hearsum put the knife down, opened the door and was arrested.

She admitted the offences and was bailed - but then started sending the victim texts which although not threatening were harassing, Mr Kesner said.

At an earlier trial, defence argued that Hearsum had struggled with her sexuality and had suffered from mixing alcohol and anti-depressants.