Police have released an image of a man who sexually assaulted a woman on Jurby beach in what a deemster described as a ‘quite horrific offence’.

Nathan Owen Briggs, 26, carried out the assault after he and the victim spent the day drinking and having a barbecue at the beach.

Briggs, of Marathon Road, Douglas, appeared at the Court of General Gaol Delivery for sentencing on Thursday, having previously admitted sexual assault by penetration.

Prosecutor Sara-Jayne Dodge said police were called following reports that a woman had been sexually assaulted on the beach on August 20, 2025.

When officers arrived, the woman told them she had been sexually assaulted.

During a police interview the following day, she explained that she had met Briggs around nine weeks earlier and they had been spending time together, although they were not in a relationship.

She said she had fallen asleep before waking to find Briggs with his hand down her shorts, sexually assaulting her.

The woman confirmed she had not consented and screamed at Briggs to get off her.

Briggs was subsequently arrested but gave a ‘no comment’ interview.

In his basis of plea, Briggs claimed the assault ‘only lasted a couple of seconds’ and that he had ‘sincerely apologised for his actions’.

Ms Dodge read the woman's victim impact statement to the court.

The victim said: ‘I had hopes and plans and a sense of who I was but my life has changed completely.

‘The impact has been severe and has affected me every day since. My mental health has deteriorated significantly.

‘This has changed the course of my life and I will carry this for years to come.’

Sentencing Briggs, Deemster Graeme Cook said: ‘You have committed a quite horrific offence. I accept the assault a minimal length but it has had a prolonged effect on the victim.’

Briggs was jailed for three years and eight months.

He was also made subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for 10 years and will remain on the sex offenders' register for life.