The criminology student had plans to become a solicitor (Picture: Press Association)

A university student has watched his dreams of becoming a solicitor go up in flames after being jailed for slapping a sleeping woman in the face with his penis.

John Luke Dale, who studies criminology at Nottingham Trent, was filmed on a mobile phone by a friend stripping to his boxers before shoving his penis in the face of a young woman after she fell asleep at a house party last year.

And the 21-year-old, from Milton Keynes, was jailed for nine months at Nottingham Crown Court in September after admitting to sexual assault, with three top judges rejecting an appeal yesterday.



‘One can see in stark form the distress caused to the victim of this offence and the continuing nature of it,’ said Judge Alistair McCreath, sitting with Lord Justice McCombe and Mr Justice Spencer at the Court of Appeal.


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‘The sentence which the judge imposed cannot possibly be wrong in principle.’

Although the incident took place last year, it did not come to light until the friend who had filmed it showed it to workmates, who called police.

In a statement by the victim, the young woman said she felt ‘violated’ and that the existence of the video ‘petrified’ her.

Trevor Burke QC, defending, acknowledged that the act was ‘extremely unpleasant’ but argued that it was not driven by sexual gratification and that the loss of Mr Dale’s studies and future career in law was sufficient punishment.