Former Team GB gymnast Alexander Hicken, who walked free from court after being found guilty of sexually assaulting a drunk woman, has had his sentence referred to the Attorney General for review as 'unduly lenient'.

Hicken, 23, of Loggon Road, Cranbourne, was convicted in August at Winchester Crown Court. The court heard that he abused a vulnerable woman after bragging to friends "I'm going to **** her".

The former coach at Basingstoke Gymnastic Club preyed on his intoxicated victim after she was put to bed at a party because she was drunk. Despite the woman's demands to stop, Hicken, a tumbling coach who had a girlfriend at the time, repeatedly sexually touched her over an eight-hour ordeal.

Hicken received a suspended sentence of 21 months in prison in October, allowing him to walk free from court. This sentence has now been referred for review under the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme (ULS), which allows members of the public to ask the Attorney General's office to examine sentences handed down by crown courts in England and Wales within 28 days of sentencing.

The Attorney General has the power to refer sentences for certain offences which they believe to be unduly lenient to the Court of Appeal. Their office states that they must "consider the case personally and decide whether a particular sentence is unduly lenient".

The Attorney General's office has confirmed that it has received a referral for Hicken's sentence and that they have 28 days to consider the case.

Hicken, who represented the junior Team GB at the Loule Gymnastic World Cup in Portugal in 2012, was 21 at the time of the assault. He escaped an immediate prison sentence after the judge said his age was taken into consideration.

In court, the victim said Hicken "abused me, my body and my trust" and said the attack had led her to become depressed, suffer from anxiety and have suicidal thoughts.

In a statement read to the court, she said: "I can say with all certainty this assault has changed my life 100 per cent. I blame myself constantly for what happened... since this occasion I will never drink to excess, I don't like the idea of not being in control. Since this happened I have nightmares where I think Alex is sitting at the end of my bed. I often find myself looking around my room to check he isn't there."