A teenager wept as she told a court how she was sexually assaulted on a bus heading to a Huddersfield nightclub.

The girl was going to Tokyo’s on a bus filled with other new university students when the incident happened on September 25.

In an unusual move, the student stood up in court and told how that night had impacted her life.

She sobbed as she told Kirklees magistrates how her confidence had been shattered following the unprovoked attack by Matthew Clarke.

Alex Bozman, prosecuting, said that the teenager and other students had been picked up from student accommodation to go to the Huddersfield nightclub.

Clarke, 25, was also on the bus and struck up a conversation with her before trying to sit on her knee. Uncomfortable with this she moved her body away but Clarke put his hand under her legs and rubbed her thigh. He pointed at his crotch and made a lewd remark.

She said: “I was really independent before I went to uni, now I can’t go out and I can’t be around other men ever. I get so scared thinking it’s going to happen again.

“It’s taken away any self worth I had.”

Clarke, of Oldham, was found guilty after a trial of sexual assault.

Ian Owen, mitigating, said that the night had been promoted by businesses - including the club which his client was working for at the time. He added that the fact the case would be reported in the wider community would serve as extra punishment for Clarke.

Magistrates sentenced him to 300 hours of unpaid work as a direct alternative to custody. He must also sign the Sex Offender’s Register for five years and told to pay £620 court costs.