Masterton man groped shop assistant

A Masterton man has been sentenced to 150 hours' community work and nine months' supervision for groping a female shop assistant.

Stephen Patrick Shergold, 40, was charged with indecent assault after he went into a store at the St Luke's shopping mall in Auckland and grabbed the woman's bottom while she was serving a customer.

He then left but stood outside the store staring at her through the window until mall security detained him.

In her victim impact statement, the woman said she was horrified that he could do that to her.

In Masterton District Court yesterday, Judge Peter Butler said Shergold claimed it was accidental but his guilty plea meant it was intentional.

"There is a refusal to take responsibility," he said.

He also ordered Shergold to undertake a counselling programme.

Judge Ian Mill had previously served Shergold a first-strike warning under the "three strikes" Sentencing and Parole Reform Act 2010.

That means if Shergold commits a sexual offence again, or a violent offence, he will go to jail and serve a full sentence without parole.

A third strike would bring a mandatory maximum sentence for that crime, also served without parole.