Man jailed over sex attack on North Coast beach

HE approached a young woman before assaulting her in the sand dunes of the popular beach.

A man has been imprisoned after he sexually assaulted a young women on a North Coast beach. Picture: NewsRegional

A NORTH Coast man has been imprisoned after he sexually assaulted a woman on a Byron Shire beach.

Zane Rowe, 33, faced Sydney's Downing Centre District Court on Friday for sentencing on six counts of aggravated sexual assault (with deprivation of liberty), committing an act of indecency and destroying or damaging property.

Police charged the Coffs Harbour man after the incident in which he approached a 21-year-old woman before assaulting her in the sand dunes at Belongil Beach on June 5, 2017.

Rowe's victim reported the attack to police and Tweed Byron Police District detectives and SCC Sex Crimes Squad investigated.

He was later arrested in June 16, 2017 in Coffs Harbour and charged.

After pleading guilty to the charges, Rowe was sentenced to an aggregate prison term of nine years and nine months, backdated to the time of his arrest.

Rowe had been refused bail since his first appearance in Coffs Harbour Local Court, in which the court found he posed an unacceptable risk of failing to appear, committing a serious offence and endangering the community.

He will be first eligible for parole on March 15, 2024.