A drunk soldier tried to rape another man who had passed out in the street after downing a bottle of vodka, a court heard.

Michael Nobbs was caught on CCTV pulling down the man’s shorts, dropping his jeans and then trying to have sex with him.

The victim was so inebriated he was completely unaware of what happened, and was shocked when told by police.

Nobbs, who was close to finishing his Army training, sat shame-faced in the dock at Maidstone Crown Court as he was jailed for six years.

At the request of prosecutor Martin Yale, Judge Charles Macdonald QC cleared the public gallery as the graphic CCTV footage was shown on screens.

Mr Yale said the victim had bought the vodka at a petrol station in Dock Road, Chatham, in the early hours of October 2 this year and stopped by the town’s library to drink it and have a smoke.

By the time Nobbs, 24, came along he was curled up in the road asleep.

Nobbs at first sat on a bench looking at his phone. After a while, he went over to the man and pulled down his shorts. He lay behind him and dropped his jeans before returning to the bench.

He performed a sex act on himself and went back and tried to rape the unsuspecting victim. While doing so, he took two photos on his phone.

Police were alerted by CCTV camera operators and officers rushed to the scene and almost caught Nobbs in the act as he was pulling up his jeans.

Mr Yale said Nobbs, who admitted attempted rape, did not accept he was looking at a website for gay and bisexual men at the time of the offence. He had called his girlfriend while there.

The victim only remembered waking up in hospital.

“He was thankful that he was not conscious as it spared him the memory of what happened” - Judge Charles Macdonald

“An officer told him what had been seen,” said Mr Yale. “He was shocked by what he was told. He described himself as one hundred per cent straight.

“He was thankful that he was not conscious as it spared him the memory of what happened.”

Judge Macdonald told Nobbs, of Queensferry, Deeside, Flintshire: “The victim was particularly vulnerable being unconscious on the ground. The worst part was that it was recorded by you on your phone.

“There is significant impact, which I take into account. Your service career has been ruined. Custody is inevitable.”

Nobbs’ name will appear on the sex offenders’ register indefinitely.