A WORKINTON man who has fled the country has been convicted of sexually assaulting and attempting to rape a woman.

Alan Adam, 38, who had pleaded not guilty to the two allegations, had been due to testify in his own defence but he failed to turn up for his trial at Carlisle Crown Court and the case went ahead without him.

It took the jury 90 minutes to return guilty verdicts on both charges, relating to events that happened in Workington on February 19, 2020.

After the guilty verdicts were announced, Judge David Potter told the jury that Adam had left the UK by ferry in July last year, despite knowing that he was facing a trial over the two allegations.

“He has not returned to the UK and his present whereabouts are unknown,” said the judge. Judge Potter said Adam is facing a “significant custodial sentence” for the offences he is now convicted of.

Earlier in the case, barrister Robert Smith outlined the prosecution case, describing how Adam committed the offences after a social gathering in Workington. His group were involved in a drinking game, and many were drunk.

The prosecutor said that the defendant, formerly of Harrington Road, Workington, committed the attempted rape and sexual assault after following the woman into a bedroom uninvited.

When the police arrived at the scene, the defendant acted “calmly as though nothing untoward had occurred,” said Mr Smith. Police found the victim “very upset” and she was physically grabbing a female police officer for comfort.

Mr Smith said: “[The woman] informed the police that she had felt tired and had taken herself to the bedroom and that Alan Adam had followed her there and then started to ‘do stuff.’”

Despite her telling him “No”, he had said it was okay and “carried on regardless”, the jury was told. The woman also said that she felt as thought she may have been drugged.

A physical examination of the victim revealed that she had scratches on her leg, a mark on her hand and a scratch on her breast.

The woman told police that the defendant gave her a drink which made her feel weird and spaced out. It was after this that, feeling tired, she had gone to a bedroom where she fell asleep.

She then woke up to find Adam in the room, sexually assaulting her and telling her to “ssshh”, saying that she would wake the neighbours, but she made it clear she wanted nothing to do with him.

The jury heard that DNA samples taken from the defendant corroborated the woman’s account. Adam told police that there had been sexual contact but he claimed it was consensual.

He denied that there had been any sexual contact in the bedroom. No drug traces were found in a blood sample from the woman but her blood alcohol level would have caused a high degree of intoxication, the court heard.

“You will have to determine whether [the woman] is an honest and reliable witness,” Mr Smith told the jury. “This complaint was made almost immediately without any other real explanation as to why she would make this accusation.”

Judge Potter said he will pass sentence on Friday, March 24. Adam has now been put on the Sex Offender Register as a result of his conviction. How long his name will be on the Register will be determined on the day of sentence.

Judge Potter said the defendant had been given a fair trial, even though Adam had chosen to absent himself from the process. There are suggestions that Adam may have been to Qatar. An international arrest warrant is likely to be issued for the defendant.