A Manhattan lawyer who claimed he could not have sexually assaulted a woman because she was too fat to fit on the fold-out bed in his office, has been sentenced to four years in jail.

Dan Nelson, 39, also tried to claim that he would not have attacked the woman because he forgot to take his erectile dysfunction medication, but these claims were swept aside.

Weeping as Nelson was sentenced on Friday, the 36-year-old victim told the New York Post: 'It was implied it never could have happened as my 200-plus pound frame was too fat to be pushed down, held down, and pulled around like a rag doll.'

Nelson attacked the woman at the New York office of his firm Nelson & McCulloch back in August 2014 after meeting her on a night out, the court was told.

The intellectual property lawyer said he downed three bottles of wine before meeting with the woman at a bar, before she agreed to go back to his house.

But instead of heading home, Nelson took her to his Manhattan offices where one of the conference rooms was fitted out with a folding Murphy bed.

The pair undressed and began making out, according to the victim, but when she changed her mind about having sex Nelson became aggressive.

The victim said he pinned her to the bed by her neck and digitally penetrated her before she managed to break free and ran naked into the street.

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Nelson tried to claim that the woman had taunted him about his inability to get an erection, causing him to push her toward the office door, ripping her dress off in the process.

According to Nelson, she then left and later fabricated the story about being sexually assaulted, but those claims were dismissed.

Prosecutors had originally charged Nelson with attempted rape, but that was dismissed at an earlier stage. Instead, he was found guilty of sexual abuse and obstruction of breathing.

Prosecutor Maxine Rosenthal had asked for a seven-year sentence, saying Nelson had a history of 'degrading and abusing' women.

Defense lawyer Tim Parlatore tried to claim that Nelson was a gentleman aside from one night of drunken misbehavior, but Justice Patricia Nunez was unmoved by the claims.