A prison officer who was drunk, complained about his wife to a barmaid, before sexually assaulting her, a court heard. Michael Gardner, who had been a prison officer for more than 20 years and was employed at HMP Parc in Bridgend at the time of the incident, has since lost his job. The 46-year-old's behaviour was branded "nothing short of utterly disgraceful and what's more, extremely seedy, by a judge at Swansea Crown Court. He also said the incident must have been humiliating and embarrassing for the victim, and he said it was a pity the defendant had not shown the guts to own up to what he had done until the day of trial thereby putting the woman through the prospect of a trial, reports WalesOnline. Ashanti-Jade Walton, prosecuting, told the court that in March 2023 Gardner went into a bar in the Neath area after watching a rugby match. The defendant began chatting to the barmaid and she formed the impression he was intoxicated. The barrister said during the course of the evening Gardner's partner entered the bar and an argument developed between the couple with the partner seemingly trying to get the defendant to go home. The court heard that after his wife left the bar the defendant began complaining about her, describing her as "horrible" and calling her names. He then told the barmaid that she was "nicer" than his partner, and he told her he was going to go home with her that night. Gardner then began "fake crying" and hugging the member of staff. The barmaid alerted her manager to what was happening, and a customer who saw what was going on intervened to ask the barmaid if she was alright. The court heard that later that evening Gardner grabbed the barmaid's left buttock and squeezed it, and at that point the bar manager told him to leave. The defendant responded by becoming "aggressive and abusive" and started shouting at people in the bar who intervened. The police were called and the officers noted Gardner's eyes were glazed and he appeared to be "very intoxicated". When arrested he was found to be in possession of the bar's electronic card reader machine. Michael Gardner, of School Road, Crynant, Neath, had previously pleaded guilty on the day he was due to stand trial to sexual assault when he appeared in the dock for sentencing. He had pleaded guilty to theft of the card reader at magistrates court. The defendant has no previous convictions. David Singh, for Gardner, said the defendant had worked as a prison officer for 21 years and at the time of the offending was effectively on sick leave from HMP Parc in Bridgend for mental health reasons. He said it had taken his client some time to come to realisation that he was an alcoholic but that they were his instructions that he was now seeking help and was some 200 days sober. The barrister said Gardner was "absolutely mortified" at what he did in the bar, and said the defendant has a supportive wife - though he acknowledged "it may take some significant time" for the couple to repair their relationship. Judge Paul Thomas KC told the defendant his behaviour in the bar was "nothing short of utterly disgraceful and what's more, extremely seedy". He said Gardner had shown the barmaid unwanted attention before groping her and then becoming aggressive with people who intervened. The judge said the incident must have been humiliating and embarrassing for the victim, and he said it was a pity the defendant had not shown the guts to own up to what he had done until the day of trial thereby putting the woman through the prospect of a trial. Judge Thomas said he accepted that at the time of the offending the defendant was going through a "rough time" with his mental health, something which was being exacerbated by the misuse of alcohol. He also said he accepted the defendant had lost his job in the Prison Service and lost his reputation as a result of the conviction. With a discount for his guilty plea and in accordance with the sentencing guidelines Gardner was made the subject of a 12-month community order and must complete a rehabilitation course and abide by a 90-day electronically-tagged alcohol abstinence monitoring requirement. The defendant will be a registered sex offender for the next five years. The court heard Gardner has previously been fined £280 by magistrates for the theft offence. You can sign up for all the latest court stories here Find crime figures for your area