A SEX attacker threatened a woman with a hammer while he groped her genitals and told her "I'm going to rape you".

Macauley Alexander-Rose admitted controlling or coercive behaviour and sexual assault when he appeared at Worcester Crown Court on Thursday.

He had already been convicted of disseminating a private sexual photograph at a hearing at South Worcestershire Magistrates Court on October 21.

The coercive behaviour took place between January 1 last year and October 19 this year.

The sexual assault happened between February 1 and October 12 this year. The complainant cannot be identified for legal reasons.

Alexander-Rose hacked a woman's social media account to disseminate the sexual photo, the court heard.

The 24-year-old lived at a flat in Bridge Street, Worcester at the time of the offences but now lives at New Road in Armitage, Staffordshire.

Judge Nicolas Cartwright adjourned the case for the probation service to assess Alexander-Rose’s dangerousness.

If a defendant is found to be dangerous the judge can impose an extended sentence and licence period.

The issue of dangerousness had to be considered after the court heard there had been two previous female victims of the defendant's violence.

Andrew Baker, prosecuting, said: “He managed to pick up a hammer. It was held to her right temple. He grabbed her private parts very hard so that it hurt and she was screaming. He said: 'If you don’t have sex with me I’m going to rape you'.”

Alexander-Rose also put his hands around her neck and squeezed it, put his hand over her mouth so she struggled to breathe and threatened to kill her.

Mr Baker also described how Alexander-Rose threatened to scrape a tattoo off her back with a knife, punched her, kicked her and verbally abused her. Her back was left back swollen and sore and at one point she ‘lost consciousness’.

Mr Baker said in November 2014 the defendant had received a four month prison sentence suspended for two years for offences including assault occasioning actual bodily harm and criminal damage in relation to another female victim.

He received another four month prison sentence in January 2015 for battery against another female complainant who was bitten by the defendant.

Mr Baker also applied for a sexual harm prevention order.

Alec Small, for Alexander-Rose, contested the order, saying it was an unusual one to seek and was ordinarily applied for in cases where a defendant had downloaded indecent images of children.

However, he conceded that the offences were aggravated by previous convictions against other women.

Judge Nicolas Cartwright said he would need the probation service report to address the question of the defendant's dangerousness and reserved the matter to himself at a further hearing set to take place on January 26, 2018.

He said: "It's going to have to be adjourned. It's a very worrying picture."

No application was made for bail and Alexander-Rose was remanded in custody.

Because Alexander-Rose stands convicted notification requirements now apply which means he has to notify his offender manager of any change in his circumstances.