A DRUNKEN partygoer has been ordered to pay compensation to two women after he grabbed their bottoms at a law firm’s staff party. 

Ian Bond started drinking at a post-work barbecue and went on to join colleagues at the Bar 7 nightspot in Newton Abbot, where he carried out the assaults. 

He came up behind the two women and grabbed a buttock, telling one ‘don’t act like you don’t enjoy it’ and laughing when the other turned around to complain. 

One of the victims was so upset that she left the dance floor and went into a smoking area where she told other people what Bond had just done. 

By chance, the other victim overheard her and they made a joint complaint. 

Bond worked as a case progression officer at the firm which is based in Devon but specialises in handling motoring cases from all over the country. He left the company after the incident and now works elsewhere.

The 39-year-old, of Broadway, Exeter, was originally charged with sexually assaulting the two women but pleaded guilty to assault by battery.

He was ordered to pay £500 compensation by Judge Anna Richardson at Exeter Crown Court. 

She put him on an alcohol monitoring tag for 120 days and ordered him to do 50 hours of unpaid community work and ten rehabilitation activity days as part of a one-year community order. 

She told him he had caused distress to the two women but she was taking into account his previous good character, his remorse and his attempts to deal with his binge drinking problem.

Miss Felicity Payne, prosecuting, said the assaults happened in the early hours of October 2, 2021 when a party which had started at 5 pm at the company’s offices moved on to the Bar 7 later in the night.

One of the woman was on the dancefloor when she felt someone grab her right buttock and turned to see Bond staring at her. 

She told him not to touch her and he replied that she liked it. 

He had earlier done the same thing twice to another woman who was stood at the bar, who did identify him the first time but spotted him laughing when she challenged him after the second grab.

The women both wrote impact statements in which they said they were upset and disgusted by what had happened. 

Bond told police he had no memory of what he had done because he was ‘10 out of 10’ on a scale of drunkenness.

Mr Warren Robinson, defending, said Bond is very remorseful and apologetic and has started working with the addiction service Together to address his binge drinking. 

The CCTV of the incident showed that he had not only touched the two women but had done the same thing to his male boss during the evening. He has family responsibilities and a young daughter.