A nine-year-old boy was kissed and sexually molested by a drunken woman in a Herne Bay store.

The bizarre incident happened in front of the child's horrified mother and supermarket staff, a court heard.

But former kindergarten worker Iwona Sanigorska, 48, offered no explanation for her outrageous behaviour.

And now she has been given a suspended jail sentence - and ordered to stay away from the store and nearby area for five years.

Polish-born Sanigorska, of Avenue Road, Herne Bay pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a child.

Francesca Levett, prosecuting, told Canterbury Crown Court how in April last year at about 7pm the victim's mother was at one of the store's check-outs.

"The defendant was ahead of them purchasing vodka," she said. "Later the boy went to the end of the aisle where Sanigorska was and began talking to the boy.

"She asked him his name and held out his hand in a way that the mother later described as being similar to how in olden days a lady would expect to be kissed by a gentleman."

"get your hands off him. you do not touch a child like that…” – victim's mother

Miss Levett said she then rubbed the boy's hair and told him that he was cute.
"It all appeared at that stage to be friendly and innocent and the boy began laughing.

"But soon he and his mother began feeling uncomfortable and other people saw Sanigorska kissing the boy on the lips."

A supervisor then took Sanigorska out of the supermarket - as the child became upset and started making "spitting sounds and wiping his mouth".

But within minutes she returned and sexually assaulted the child - finally pinching the child's bottom.

The mother then shouted: "Get your hands off him. You do not touch a child like that!"

Staff then ejected her for a second time while she was shouting "What have I done wrong?" and claiming she had worked with children for 25 years.

Store staff then followed her to her home address and reported the incidents to the police.

Sanigorska later told officers: "I know what this is about...I love children. I said 'kiss,kiss'."

Said she was drunk when she went to the store and in drink "I simply love everybody."

Ian Bond, defending, said "It wasn't a sexually motivated act. She has never had any sexual attraction to children.

"Her behaviour can only be explained by her inebriation. It is a rather bizarre case but she says she has no desire to harm children."

Sanigorska was given a 36-week jail sentence - suspended for two years - and ordered to take a six month course to tackle her alcoholism and is now on the Sex Offender's Register for 10 years.