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No means no... even for $600.

shadowcat

Atlanta suburb

Struggling to find a girlfriend, Eugene Papak would visit a Melbourne strip club and pay for the affection of exotic dancers.

But one night at Goldfingers Mens Club he crossed a line by groping a naked dancer after twice being told not to during a private show in May 2016.

The distressed woman stopped the $600 lap dance immediately and told her manager, and next time Papak visited the club he was arrested.

Papak, 34, was spared jail but convicted of sexual assault on Tuesday after pleading guilty.

"You asked her twice if you could touch her vagina and she said 'no'," Victorian County Court Judge Jane Patrick said during sentencing.

"You crossed a boundary without permission and that clearly distressed her.

"When a female, or male for that matter, says 'no' then that's what it means. You must respect that."

He was placed on a 15-month community corrections order and must complete 100 hours of community work.

He visited Goldfingers strip club several times and paid for dances from the complainant before the assault.

The court was told Papak had never had an intimate relationship, despite his efforts to find one.

"You have tried to meet women in nightclubs and others places," Judge Patrick noted.

"It is clear you want an intimate relationship and have been somewhat frustrated to not receive it."

But this was no excuse for his actions, the judge added.

She told Papak that if he did ever want to find a girlfriend, he must first show that person respect.

Doctors found Papak had poor communication and social skills, as well as bipolar disorder.

He has no prior convictions but was ordered to undertake a sex offender's program to reduce his chances of reoffending.