AN OXFORD University student who broke a woman’s nose when he attacked her in a nightclub was jailed yesterday.

Abdulrahman Abdelsalam denied groping the woman in the Plush Lounge in Park End Street before repeatedly punching her in the face.

While a jury unanimously found the second year law student guilty of assault occasioning actual bodily harm in June, he was acquitted of the sexual assault.

Oxford Crown Court heard yesterday that a row had erupted between Abdelsalam and the woman in the club, and the woman had poured her drink over his head. Addressing Abdelsalam, Judge Ian Pringle said: “You turned to her, becoming very aggressive, and said to her ‘I’m going to **** you up’.

“She was terrified but had no time in which to move in order to prevent you from punching her full in face.

“It dropped her to the ground and when she got up you continued to hit her on her face.”

The court heard Abdelsalam, of Zenith Close, Colindale, London, had been a star pupil, achieving 14 GCSEs and five A-levels at The London Academy.

Defence barrister Toby Long appealed for a community sentence.

He said the 20-year-old had behaved out of character and deeply regretted his actions.

However Judge Pringle rejected that plea and said that because of the nature of the attack on March 22 last year, he felt only a prison sentence would be appropriate.

Jailing Abdelsalam for nine months, Judge Pringle said: “It was a sustained or repeated assault on this young lady and the injury was serious.

“She had to stop her studies.

“That cost her a huge amount of money because she lost her funding.

“I would be failing in my duty if I were to not pass a sentence today of imprisonment.”