A convicted sex offender who subjected a woman to a horrific sex attack has been jailed for four years and eight months.

Paul Rivas, of Buxton Street, Accrington, was told by a judge he is a ‘danger’ to the public.

Burnley Crown Court heard how he attacked and pinned down a woman before sexually assaulting her.

He was previously given a hospital order for two offences of indecent assault against women in the 1990s.

The court was told that before the attack Rivas had contacted the community mental health team in Accrington to say that he was ‘becoming dangerous but that he was ‘fobbed off’.

Rivas, 46, pleaded guilty to a sexual assault and was ordered to serve four years and eight months in prison with an extended eight years on licence.

He was also told he will only be considered for early release from prison by the parole board.

Karen Brooks, prosecuting, told the court how Rivas ‘gripped hold’ of the victim’s hair and dragged her to the floor before sitting on her and pinning her down by her arms.

The court heard how he then took his belt from his trousers and tried to tie her arms, however he failed ‘as she was struggling’.

Miss Brooks said Rivas then slapped her ‘across the head and face four or five times’ and put his hands over her mouth to stop her from screaming.

Rivas then removed her clothing before sexually assaulting her and as she tried to ‘crawl away across the floor’ he continued to slap her and pin her against a wall.

Miss Brooks said after the incident Rivas then stood up and said to the victim ‘all right?’

Miss Brooks told the court that the victim was left ‘crying, incredibly upset and frightened’.

Rivas was later arrested and made no comment during a police interview.

A victim impact statement read out at court told how the incident had left the victim at ‘rock bottom’.

In a letter to Judge Jonathan Gibson, Rivas said it was a ‘seriously and terribly wrong thing that he did’ and ‘offered his sincerest apologies’.

Judge Gibson said the effect on the victim had been ‘substantial’ and the offence was committed ‘against the background of [Rivas’s] deteriorating mental health.’

Sentencing, he told Rivas: “It seems to me there’s a very real danger, particular when you relapse in your illness.

“You are a high risk of committing further offences.

“In those circumstances it does seem to me a finding that you are a dangerous offender is justified.”

Defence barrister Daniel Prowse has blasted the community mental health team in Accrington over Paul Rivas’ treatment and said the incident ‘could have been avoided’.

Burnley Crown Court was told that Rivas and the Probation Service ‘repeatedly’ contacted the mental health team at The Mount over concerns he was ‘becoming dangerous’.

Mr Prowse said on one occasion a probation officer drove Rivas to the mental health team and ‘refused to leave until someone saw him’ because she was ‘so concerned that he was becoming every increasingly dangerous’.

However Mr Prowse told the court that Rivas was ‘fobbed off’ and was ‘offered on occasions to be taken to McDonald’s for a coffee’.

He said: “The Probation Service didn’t have access to the very detailed notes the mental health service had.

“Yet even without that knowledge they were so concerned at what was obviously the deterioration of this man’s mental health that they on his behalf contacted his GP and pursued the GP to get a referral.

“He himself was reporting to them his own concerns and was repeatedly asking for help from the Probation Service, and to their credit they believed him and were repeatedly asking for help from community mental health.

“The defendant in his words says he was being fobbed off. He explained to them he felt he was becoming dangerous and was offered on occasions to be taken to McDonald’s for a coffee.”

Mr Prowse said the requests to the community mental health team ‘fell on deaf ears’ and when a review into his case was held – one week before the sexual assault incident – they gave him a ‘totally deficient result’ of advising him to reduce his alcohol intake.

Mr Prowse told the court: “Had the mental health team acted as they plainly should have done to either section him under the Mental Health Act or to make sure he was receiving the medication properly it’s extremely unlikely this offence would have occurred.

“This is a case where because of that failure by the mental health team to properly support this defendant he got to the point where he committed this offence.

“Not only has he been affected but the victim of this offence has too.

“This is an offence which could’ve been avoided had he been properly medicated and treated.”

NHS adult mental health bosses said they could hold an investigation following the criticisms made in court.

It comes after defence barrister Daniel Prowse claimed in court that the advice of the community mental health team, based at The Mount in Accrington, given Rivas was ‘totally deficient’.

He said if Rivas had been ‘properly medicated and treated’ then the incident would have been ‘extremely unlikely’.

Phil Horner, deputy network director for Adult Mental Health Network at Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust, said they would conduct a ‘thorough investigation’ if any concerns are raised.

He said:“The Trust is unable to comment on individual cases due to confidentiality, however the safety and wellbeing of our service users is our main priority to ensure they receive the right care they need at the right time.

“Where there are any concerns about the care or treatment we have delivered we would always conduct a thorough investigation.”