A 25-year-old man was sentenced to 3.5 years in jail on Wednesday for attempting to rape a woman while he was drunk in Paphos.

The attempted abuse took place as the woman was walking home from a nightclub they had both been at, when a passerby saw what was happening and intervened.

When imposing the sentence, Paphos criminal court took into consideration the fact the man had admitted to the offence and had outlined his remorse, and also that he had been in custody for one year.

Under national law, attempted rape is punishable with up to ten years in jail.