A MAN has been told to expect a jail sentence after being convicted of sexually assaulting a woman he had followed from a pub. Robin Oakes, 45, was found not guilty of raping the 26-year-old mother who admitted she was very drunk at the time. But a jury

A MAN has been told to expect a jail sentence after being convicted of sexually assaulting a woman he had followed from a pub.

Robin Oakes, 45, was found not guilty of raping the 26-year-old mother who admitted she was very drunk at the time.

But a jury at Luton Crown Court unanimously convicted him of the alternative charge of sexual assault.

Oakes, of Swinburne Close, Royston, had pleaded not guilty to both charges.

He was remanded in custody and will be sentenced in April.

Judge Michael Kay QC told him: "A prison sentence is inevitable and I want the pre-sentence report to consider the question of dangerousness."

Ian Wade, prosecuting, told the jury at the start of the nine-day trial that the victim was out for the evening of October 28 2006 with her husband and a friend from London.

They had been drinking in several pubs.

"It is true that she drunk a great deal. A blood test later registered the equivalent of three and a half times the legal driving limit. She was not paralytic but had some difficulty remembering the precise details of that evening.

"She became separated from her husband and friend, quite how it is not known. She was then seen in the Coach and Horses alone. She was a blond, attractive woman who said to the world at large 'who's going to buy me a drink then?'," said the prosecutor.

In fact, the landlord said he thought she should leave. Oakes was drinking at the bar and was seen to leave his drunk and leave the pub saying he was going to make sure she was alright.

The woman told police that someone began walking with her then pushed her to the ground and throttled her. She struggled and shouted for help. She believed she had been raped.

Mr Wade said the victim thought she was attacked behind the Manor House, but the defendant later described the incident taking place behind a warehouse in Lumen Road.

She managed to get to her home, where her injuries were visible to her friend and police were called.

The jury were told that the defendant's blood was discovered on her clothing, including inside her knickers. But no semen that could be linked to him was found.

He was arrested at the end of November and during the first three interviews did not answer police questions.

But in the fourth interview he told how he followed her from the pub and helped her. He said she could barely walk and he gave her a fireman's lift some of the way.

But then he alleged she 'came on to him' and led him to a dark area where they kissed and touched each other. But then her mood suddenly altered and he just left her there.

His explanation for the blood was that it must have come from a cold sore on his lip that was bleeding.