A MAN has been convicted of sexually assaulting a young woman – while wearing a dress, boots and silver wig. Mark Brown, 30, was caught on camera stalking an 18-year-old university student during a freshers night out. He followed his victim home as she got off a bus near Newington Green in Islington, North London, […]
A MAN has been convicted of sexually assaulting a young woman – while wearing a dress, boots and silver wig.
Mark Brown, 30, was caught on camera stalking an 18-year-old university student during a freshers night out.
He followed his victim home as she got off a bus near Newington Green in Islington, North London, in the early hours of 20 September last year.
When she reached her front door, he pounced on the unsuspecting woman and put his hand under her skirt.
She fell to the ground screaming and kicked out at Brown, who then fled the scene, a court heard.
Police scoured CCTV of the area, which led them to Brown’s home.
Officers searched his garden, where they found a black leather jacket with latex gloves in the pockets, a t-shirt, a long silver wig and a bra padded with hay, which he had taken from his rabbit’s hutch.
Brown orginally denied being the person in the CCTV footage wearing “dark-coloured women’s clothing and shiny silver wig”.
But during his trial at Wood Green Crown Court on Friday, he accepted he was the man wearing the dress and wig – claiming he had followed the young student in the hope of robbing her rather than carrying out a sexual assault.
Michael Oatley, of the CPS said: “Mark Brown targeted a lone, young victim as she made her way home from a night out during Freshers’ Week.
“Brown was dressed in female clothing including a short dress and silver wig.
“He stalked his victim before sexually assaulting her right on her own doorstep.
“The prosecution case included strong witness testimony and CCTV footage which showed Brown leaving his home dressed in the female clothing.
“At first Brown told police officers that the person in the footage was not him and that he had thrown out the wig which he previously used for fancy dress.
“He later changed his story and went on to say that it was him, but that he had only intended to rob the victim.
“He will now have to face the consequences of his actions.
“The CPS takes crimes against women extremely seriously and will prosecute offenders where there is the evidence to do so.”
Police found CCTV showing Brown leaving his home just before the attack at 3.45am on September 20 last year, and returning afterwards, the court heard.
Brown, of Islington, North London, denied assault by penetration but was found guilty of sexual assault.
He will return for sentencing on August 14.
