A WOMAN has told of her fear after she was sexually assaulted by a stranger in a Hampshire convenience store.

The 31-year-old has told how she has been left constantly reliving the attack at the Co-op store in Thornhill, Southampton.

She told how a man she had never seen before approached her in a deserted aisle after asking her what had appeared to be an innocent question, which she answered.

Then the victim, who was crouching down, said the man had leant on her shoulders from behind, leaving her unable to move.

She said he then tried to kiss her left cheek and grabbed her face to try to push it towards him, while saying to her “why don't you want to kiss me?”.

The man, who she described as “aggressive”, did manage to kiss her on the side of her face, but the woman, who cannot be named, then fought him off and fell to the floor.

She said he then walked calmly out of the store, off Hinkler Road.

She alerted a security guard to what had happened who detained the man, but, not realising how serious the incident was at the time, the man was allowed to leave and told not to come back.

It was not until the next day after she had reported it to the police that the impact of what had happened really hit home for the victim.

“I keep crying all the time,” she said.

“Every time I just relive it - he's in my personal space, he put me in a really horrible situation.

“He frightened me a lot - I have never had anything like that happen to me before, it was a shock.

“I felt I couldn't do anything, he was just really forceful.”

The victim described the man as black, in his late 20s to early 30s, 5ft 8in tall and bald.

He was smartly dressed in a dark jacket, light top and dark trousers and shoes and did not appear to have been drinking.

Hampshire Police confirmed they were investigating the sexual assault, which happened at around 9.45pm, on Monday.

A spokesman said: “We take reports of this type very seriously and the matter will be investigated fully.”

Anyone with information is asked to call police on 101.