A MAN who admitted molesting a woman in York city centre now wants to withdraw his guilty plea, a court was told.

Mohamed Hussein Abdulyazed Ali, speaking through an interpreter, pleaded guilty to sexual assault when he first appeared before York Crown Court in August.

He was accused of following a woman along the riverside path next to Ouse Bridge that leads past two restaurants to the gardens along North Street in the early hours of July 15. He then sexually attacked her and offered her money for sex, according to a CPS summary given to York magistrates two days later. As she continually said no to him, he pushed her up against a wall, but she managed to escape and raise the alarm.

The magistrates heard the 33-year-old might be an illegal immigrant, having said he had come to Britain several years ago and lived in York, and police had been unable to confirm that the address he gave, Neville Street, The Groves, was his real address.

The Honorary Recorder of York, Judge Paul Batty QC, told him in August that custody was ‘utterly inevitable,’ adding: “At the conclusion of your sentence, the court is bound to be considering deportation.”

But now his counsel, Michael Rawlinson, has told the judge that Ali claims he was unwell, felt confused and under pressure to plead guilty to get a lighter sentence when he pleaded guilty and wished to apply to ‘vacate the plea.’

The judge warned Ali he had a ‘high hurdle to cross’ in seeking to overturn what appeared to have been an unequivocal plea of guilty.

“If you fail in your application, the court would consider reducing the credit that would otherwise follow for the guilty plea," he said.

“This is in no way intended to put pressure on you but to ensure you understand your legal position and the risks that you run. To use a colloquialism, this is not a game, this is serious stuff.” The hearing to discuss the application will take place on December 15.

Ali, who told the court this week his name was not Ali but Mardi Habaka, pleaded guilty to three offences of possessing an identification document - a passport - with improper intention. The judge said he would receive appropriate credit for these guilty pleas.