Last updated at 14:20, Monday, 16 April 2012

A MAN who performed a sex act on a woman while she was asleep has been jailed for a year.

Andrew Adams had denied a charge of sexual assault on a woman in April last year.

The victim was sleeping over on a downstairs sofa at a friend’s house in Barrow at the time.

She spoke of having woken in the early hours to find the defendant performing a sex act on her.

Adams, 44, had claimed he had gone to bed and stayed there until the police turned up the following morning.

But evidence presented at the trial held at Preston Crown Court last month revealed Adams’ DNA matched a profile found on the woman and the jury returned a unanimous verdict.

Adams appeared at Preston Crown Court on Friday to be sentenced.

The court heard his victim had suffered panic attacks after the assault and was off work for a period of time.

Defence barrister Mr Roger Baldwin said: “My client has certainly learned a lesson that he will have to moderate his drinking.

“He has already done that for the last year.

“As soon as the woman ‘came to’ at the time, the defendant desisted, which she said herself, just a few seconds after she regained consciousness.”

Mr Baldwin added that Adams’ council house had since been vandalised and his partner and three children would have to be re-homed. The judge told Adams: “There is no reason they (Adams’ family) should suffer for your wrongdoing.”

Jailing Adams for 12 months, Judge Pamela Badley said the victim had suffered greatly and added the attack had been disgusting in nature.

She also told the defendant: “In the trial you denied there had been any episode of sexual contact and her account was challenged on the basis that it had not happened.

“The jury clearly came to the conclusion that her evidence was reliable.”

Adams, of James Street, Barrow, will also be on the sex offenders register for 10 years.

First published at 13:09, Monday, 16 April 2012
Published by http://www.nwemail.co.uk