A “SEXUAL predator”, who assaulted a vulnerable young man after offering him a lift outside Basingstoke railway station, has been jailed.

Kevin Barney, who has a previous conviction for raping a schoolboy, and was cautioned for an indecent assault on another man, was branded a “significant risk” to the public by the judge who sentenced him.

Winchester Crown Court heard 56-year-old Barney, of Monkswood Crescent, Tadley, was “looking for a vulnerable young man to pick up” when he drove into Basingstoke town centre late at night in November last year.

The court heard that Barney spotted his target at the railway station, where a young man was waiting for a taxi.

Barney, who was convicted of sexual assault after a trial in June, put the heating on in the car to make his victim feel sleepy.

When he dozed off, Barney reclined his seat and then sexually assaulted his passenger, only stopping when his victim woke up and realised what was happening.

He then drove him home, where the victim told his mother about the attack and was able to give the police Barney’s number plate details.

Prosecuting, Simon Jones said the victim still suffered with flashbacks from that night. He said: “It has also had an impact on his relationship with his girlfriend.”

Defending Barney, Maria Lamb said her client had dropped his victim off at his home address, rather than leaving him in an unfamiliar area.

She said: “He accepts there has been an impact (on the victim), and that is something he regrets.”

She said that the sexual assault, which amounted to kissing and touching over clothing, “falls towards the lower end” of the spectrum when compared to other assaults.

The court heard that Barney had been assessed by a team from probation as presenting “significant risk of serious harm”.

Barney was sentenced to five years in jail for the rape of a schoolboy, who he lured to his home from Reading town centre, in 2005. He was released in 2008 but was recalled two years later because “authorities were unhappy with his association with other people and young men”.

He was also cautioned in 2002 for a sexual assault on a drunk soldier, to whom he had offered a lift from Reading town centre. When the soldier woke up, he was in Barney’s bed, being assaulted.

Passing sentence for the latest offence, Judge Susan Evans told Barney: “I have no doubt you were looking for a young male affected by alcohol, and you found him.

“He was affected by alcohol and he was no longer with his friend. You approached him and you offered him a lift. He trusted you, and he got into your vehicle.”

Judge Evans sentenced Barney to six years imprisonment. He will serve two years in custody, before being released on licence for four years. He is also on the sex offenders register for life.

Judge Evans said: “Looking at your offending, I have taken the view that you are indeed a person who is a significant risk to the public of causing serious harm.”

After the sentence was passed, lead investigator Detective Constable Rod Kenny, of Basingstoke CID, said: “The victim in this case was a young man who was vulnerable due to the fact he had been consuming alcohol.

“Mr Barney portrayed himself as a Good Samaritan by offering him a lift home and abused the trust he had placed in him by assaulting him whilst he slept.

“Having been subject to the assault, it took great courage for the victim to come forward to the police and make a complaint.

“In passing sentence, Judge Evans stepped outside of the guidelines for this offence owing to the risk she felt Mr Barney posed to members of the public, describing him as a sexual predator. This is clearly reflected in the six-year sentence.”