Hilamani Tuliakiono, 28, appeared in the Invercargill District Court last week after pleading guilty to indecent assault once a burglary charge was withdrawn.
Judge Duncan Harvey sentenced the man to four months’ home detention.
At about 5.30am on October 16, Tuliakiono was intoxicated in Tay St.
He knocked on the door of a woman’s house and asked if she wanted to have sex with him.
He entered the house, but she told him to leave.
Later, the defendant was seen chasing another woman down the street.
Tuliakiono tried to talk to a woman on a morning walk and followed her back to her motel.
She locked the door, told him to leave and called the police, but he continued knocking on the door and trying to engage her in conversation.
He put his hand on her thigh and asked if she would leave with him, rubbing her leg and telling her he would be waiting outside.
She told her parents about the incident and they confronted him, which led to his arrest.
Counsel Kate McHugh was concerned a sentence of home detention would be too isolating for the defendant, who was not originally from Southland and had little support.
Judge Harvey agreed, but said an alternative sentence would not be enough to mark the serious offending.
"Unless he is at work, he is going to be on his own in a very small cabin, effectively, for a period of time including over Christmas.
"That concerns me," he said.
Speaking on behalf of the police, Mike Brownlie said, "In one sense that is probably what is needed for the defendant ... a period of isolation away from alcohol and focusing on himself."
In a statement to the court, the victim said the offending was still affecting her a month after the incident.
She said her mother locked every door and she slept with her bedroom light on.
"Hopefully, [the victim] will eventually get on with her life without any further fears," Judge Harvey said.
He ordered Tuliakiono to pay $1500 emotional harm reparation.
