Okay, what if he slapped her on the face instead? Would you condone that? There's no difference, you know, except that some men think they should have the right to slap a woman on the ass, whether it's welcome or not.
I have to agree. What the guy did was simple battery and would be a crime in the states as well. My only question, which the article doesn't answer, was did he get a greater sentence because the court found this was sexual harassment? I would have a problem with that for the same reason I have a problem with all these hate crime statutes.
While that may be true in your case ... ;^)
The Court should have made him buy her a bottle of fine wine. Case closed.