A WOMAN bus passenger woke up during a long journey to find that a stranger was sexually assaulting her.

A district judge at Carlisle's Rickergate magistrates' court heard that Beshir Usman, 37, carried out the attack as the bus was travelling along the M6 in Cumbria on January 9.

He denied the attack but was convicted after a trial. After hearing an outline of the case, District Judge Gerald Chalk jailed Usman for 110 days.

John Moran, prosecuting, said the defendant did not know his victim but sat next to her at the start of the journey, despite there being other empty seats nearby.

Sitting with a blanket across her legs, she had fallen asleep.

But as the bus was driving through Cumbria she woke up and - to her horror - realised that Usman was sexually assaulting her.

"She immediately asked him to move seats, and he did," said Mr Moran.

In her victim personal statement, the woman - a student in her 20s - spoke of the emotional impact of the attack.

Mr Moran said: "She used to regularly travel by bus but she's been scared to this because of concerns that this would happen again."

This has left her feeling isolated and affected her studies. When she had used buses, she suffered panic attacks, he said.

Sara Budniak, for Usman, said he would not appeal against the conviction and accepted the court's verdict.

"He appreciates the substantial impact on the victim," said the lawyer, saying that Usman wished to apologise to her.

As an asylum seeker from Eritrea, who had lived in the UK for 11 years, Usman had become incredibly isolated.

Unable to work, he had to live on just £35 per week, she said.

The lawyer added: "He is incredibly ashamed to be before the court."

District Judge Gerald Chalk said the offence was serious because it happened on public transport, when the victim had nowhere to escape to.

As well as the jail term, the judge said Usman, of of Erdington, Birmingham, must have his name on the Sex Offenders' Register for seven years.