Boat rape man will get jail

A MAN who assaulted a woman on the narrowboat she shared with her partner, has been found guilty, with the judge telling him he can expect a jail sentence of years not months.

Ricky Stuart was called a liar when he denied sexually assaulting and attempting to rape a woman on a narrowboat on the Leeds & Liverpool Canal at Burnley, when he denied assault claiming it was consensual sex, though he admitted stealing her handbag that contained £130 and a mobile phone, Alan Tilbury reveals.

Majority verdict

The jury found him guilty by a majority verdict of attempted rape, assault by penetration and sexual assault after he had been invited to stay on the boat having nowhere to go.

The court heard that the woman was alone when the man boarded the boat, and though she was fully clothed under a duvet, it being November, the man climbed onto the bed, put his hand over her mouth and assaulted her.

A pre-sentence report and assessment has been ordered by the judge, with sentencing expected on the 16th August.