A MAN who was wrongly imprisoned for 27 years told last night how his time behind bars had damaged him beyond repair.

Sean Hodgson was speaking to The Northern Echo after narrowly avoiding being jailed after admitting sexually assaulting a woman.

Hodgson was freed from prison in March 2009 after having his conviction for the 1979 rape and murder of Teresa De Simone, in Southampton, overturned following the emergence of new DNA evidence.

Yesterday, he appeared before Durham Crown Court to be sentenced for sexually touching a 22-year-old woman in August 2010.

After being ordered to complete a three-year community order with supervision, and agreeing to work with a mental health professional, Hodgson, 60, was free again.

Outside the court, he told The Northern Echo that he regretted the assault, saying his time in jail had done “unrepairable damage”.

Hodgson admitted he had turned to drink after winning his freedom and said: “My life is now over.”

At the time of the assault, Hodgson, of Park Street, Willington, near Crook, County Durham, was staying in a care home, which cannot be named for legal reasons.

He had been drinking in a pub with the victim, who was described as “vulnerable” by David Crook, prosecuting.

Mr Crook said: “He (Hodgson) had a reputation of being physically inappropriate towards women. He would often be drunk.”

Mr Crook said Hodgson was touching the woman’s legs and witnesses said he was “mauling” her in the pub.

Once back at the care home, Hodgson entered a room where the attack took place.

Afterwards, Hodgson returned to his room and had no recollection of what had happened when questioned by police.

Hodgson told The Northern Echo: “I am sorry about what happened now but, on the night, I had drunk four bottles of brandy.

“I came out of prison, I had been locked up for so long so I started to drink every single day while I was still on diacodeine tablets.

“I am not mad, but I went stir crazy in prison – I spent all those years suppressed and it is worse when you are always fighting for your innocence. It has done unrepairable damage and you can only take so much.”

Hodgson said he moved to the care home after his home in Crook was terrorised by local youths.

He said: “I know that if I hadn’t have spent all that time in jail, I wouldn’t be here at court today.”

Sentencing, Judge Christopher Prince said: “The fact this defendant has spent 27 years in custody for a crime he did not commit is not a relevant sentencing factor.”

Hodgson, was put on the sex offender’s register for five years and will have to abide by a Sexual Offences Prevention Order until further notice.

After his release from prison, he secured compensation for wrongful conviction, but would not disclose how much, saying: “It is like I have won the Lottery three times over, but it will never compensate for the fact I have lost my youth. My life is over now.”

Julian Young, Hodgson’s solicitor, said his client had been let down by a lack of support after his release.

He said: “The time in jail has had a serious effect on Sean’s mental wellbeing.

“If Sean had admitted the murder and rape and been released on parole, there would have been a whole network of probation service and other agencies keeping an eye on him. But he came out of jail, after 27 years and he had nothing.

What has happened is terrible, but it is almost inevitable that something was going to happen to Sean because the amount of assistance and guidance he needs is phenomenal.”

In 2009, Ms De Simone’s killer was named as David Lace, who committed suicide in 1988 aged 26. His body was exhumed and DNA tests linked him to the murder.