The owner of a Medway curry restaurant detained a prostitute against her will after changing his mind about having sex with her, a court heard.
Ali Choudhury picked up the woman in New Road, Chatham, in the early hours of February 15 and asked her how much she charged for sex.
After she told him £40, he drove her in his van to his Ace of Spice restaurant in Watling Street, Gillingham.
Once there, Choudhury, 47, locked the door but had second thoughts and demanded his money back.
“What then happened was clearly a terrifying ordeal for that young girl,” said Judge Philip St John-Stevens at Maidstone Crown Court.
“She wanted to leave and phone for a taxi. You would not let her leave. She found herself with a man who was of more maturity than her and was in drink.
“There was a degree of violence. You restrained her and would not let her leave. You used force to try to take her mobile phone from her.
“She was shouting. She was clearly upset and distressed. She was clearly a vulnerable person. She had no idea as to what was going to happen next.”
Choudhury, described as a family man, admitted false imprisonment. He denied sexual assault and the charge was left on the court file.
He was sentenced to three months imprisonment suspended for a year and 80 hours unpaid work. He was ordered to pay the victim £200 compensation.
Choudhury, who came to the UK from Bangladesh in 1975, was said to be ashamed of his behaviour. A respected businessman and married man, he was worried about the effect on his reputation.
The judge said it was clear that Choudhury had real remorse for the criminal activity which was wholly out of character.
He added the £200 to be paid to the victim was “to compensate to some extent the fear and trauma she must have suffered as a result of her ordeal”.