A SEX predator who tried to rape a student on holiday in Scotland has been jailed for five years.

Temesgen Teame pounced on the 18-year-old after following her from Bloc Bar bar in Glasgow City Centre last July.

He forced her into nearby St Vincent Lane and told the terrified teenager: “You are beautiful. I need to do this.”

The 23-year-old was only eventually snared when staff at a nearby pub heard the victim's desperate cries.

Teame later confessed the bar workers had stopped him from actually raping the girl.

He was sentenced at the High Court in Glasgow having earlier pleaded guilty to the abduction and attempted rape of the French teenager.

Lord Matthews said: “She was on holiday with two friends – that turned into a nightmare.”

The judge today said the jail term would have been seven years - but for the guilty plea.

He told Teame: “The psychological damage [for the girl] will undoubtedly be considerable and long lasting.

“Attempted rape is an appalling crime no matter the circumstances. For the victim in this case, it must have been truly dreadful.

“You were only prevented continuing by the intervention of those who came to help – they are to be commended.”

The court heard Teame was originally from Eritrea in Africa.

He was legally in Scotland since 2015 having escaped “political and civil unrest” in his homeland.

His lawyer said Teame's actions that night had been “spontaneous”.

Teame was placed on the sex offenders list indefinitely. He is also likely to face deportation.