Jail for Derbyshire man who grabbed woman as she waited for lift home

Alberto Esposito admitted a charge of false imprisonment and was jailed for five years.

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He must then face an extended period of three years on licence.

Esposito targeted the woman in Alfreton Road, Little Eaton, at around 11.40pm on September 11 last year.

She was waiting on the pavement for a lift home when he walked over and grabbed her, taking her legs from beneath her and knocking her to the ground.

The woman punched him in the face and Esposito ran off as the woman’s lift arrived.

Esposito, of Horsley Lane, Coxbench, was identified as a suspect when he was seen loitering around the scene of the attack the next morning.

When he was arrested, officers searched the bedroom of his home and found several masks which were similar to the one the victim had described.

CCTV evidence also placed him at the scene.

The Crown Prosecution Service later decided he should be charged him with false imprisonment.

He was sentenced at Nottingham Crown Court on Monday.

The court also issued a restraining order to prevent him from contacting or approaching the woman he attacked.

Officer in the case, Detective Constable Kate Reeves, said: “Esposito’s actions that night left a young woman extremely upset and fearful for her safety.

“Nobody should have to experience what she did.

“Esposito is a dangerous man.

“He has been in custody since the time of his arrest and will be off the streets for years to come.”

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