A North Tyneside man sexually assaulted a vulnerable woman travelling on the Tyne and Wear Metro.
Leon Clarkson, 20, of Shearwater Avenue, Longbenton, admitted sexual assault when he appeared recently at North Tyneside Magistrates' Court.
Sexual assault is an offence under section 3 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003. It is an either way offence with a maximum penalty of 10 years' custody on conviction on indictment, 12 months' custody and/or an unlimited fine on summary conviction.
Magistrates heard that the offence took place on a Metro train travelling between South Gosforth and Four Lane Ends stations on Tuesday, 19th April 2022. The journey between the two stations lasts around 5 minutes.
Clarkson approached the woman, who was described as "out of it" as she lay "unconscious" across one of the seats. A fellow passenger saw him repeatedly put his hands down the vulnerable woman's leggings and touch her genital area.
Glenda Beck, prosecuting, outlined the facts: "The male had his hands down the front of her leggings and had his hand on her vagina.
"He kept taking his hand out of her leggings then putting it back down again. This went on all the way between South Gosforth Metro Station and Four Lane Ends Metro Station. The witness says the female appeared totally unconscious. She was in no fit state to consent to what was happening to her.
"The witness challenged the male and said "could you not do that?". She couldn't remember what the male replied. She asked if the female was alright and he said "yeah, she's OK, she's my girlfriend"."
The witness then contacted her boyfriend, who reported the incident to the police.
On arrival at Four Lane Ends Clarkson picked up the woman and carried her off the train.
A second witness on the platform there asked what the woman had taken and how she was getting home.
Mrs Beck continued: "The defendant said that the female's mum was picking her up. The female appeared unconscious."
The police arrived at Four Lane Ends Metro Station and reviewed CCTV footage from the platform and train, which identified Clarkson as the offender.
The court heard that Clarkson has a previous conviction for outraging public decency, arising from when he performed a sex act on a Metro train back in 2019.
Gregg Stephens, mitigating, told the court that his client had learning difficulties, including autism and ADHD.
Mr Stephens said: "He became aware of this young lady, who was clearly not in a great state, on the Metro. Other people were taking the mick out of her.
"There was a group of lads there causing trouble and videoing her on their phones. He, initially, was genuinely trying to help her but he does accept that, for reasons he can't explain, he did "touch her up"."
Mr Stephens said his client denied touching the woman's genitals, claiming instead to have touched her upper leg.
Magistrates' adjourned sentencing pending the completion of a pre-sentence report.
Clarkson was granted conditional bail until his sentencing at the same court on Monday, 28th November 2022.
The conditions imposed prohibit him from travelling on public transport.
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