Court of Appeal judges have overturned a community order imposed on a Bristol man who sexually molested a drunk woman at a party – and jailed him for 18 months.

The Lord Chief Justice, Lord Judge, and two other judges in London agreed with the Attorney General, Baroness Scotland, that the original non-custodial sentence handed out to Kenneth Wright, 25, of Exmouth Road, Knowle West, was "unduly lenient".

Announcing the decision, Lord Judge sent out a strong message to "make it clear" that when a woman was too ill or unfit for whatever reason to consent to sexual familiarities "she is not consenting".

The judge, sitting with Mr Justice Collins and Mr Justice Griffith Williams, added: "We cannot emphasise too strongly that in such circumstances she must be left alone."

Exploitation of a woman's vulnerability in such a way was "an aggravating, not a mitigating, feature of the crime".

Wright, described as being of previous positive good character, was sentenced at Bristol Crown Court in December after pleading guilty to a sexual assault.

The penalty imposed was a community order for three years and he was also required to attend a sexual offenders' programme.

Lord Judge said Wright had previously intimated to the 20-year-old victim and others that he was "very attracted to her".

He added: "She made it completely plain that his feelings for her were not in any way reciprocated."

In June last year they were both at a party where Wright was affected by drink and the woman was "considerably affected by drink". She was physically unwell, vomited and "her state of intoxication was obvious to everyone there including the offender".

Lord Judge said: "She was defenceless and the offender took advantage of her vulnerability to molest her when he knew perfectly well that she would not have agreed to sexual familiarity of any kind."

The court had concluded that the original sentence was unduly lenient "and seriously so". Wright was ordered to surrender into custody at a local police station.