ROCHDALE MAN JAILED FOR SEXUAL ASSAULT AFTER CLAIMING SEXSOMNIA
A delivery courier has received a prison sentence after being found guilty of sexually assaulting a woman, despite claiming he committed the offence while asleep.Alan Walker, 47, has been sentenced to two years in prison following his conviction for sexual assault by penetration.
During the sentencing, Recorder Nick Clarke, QC, acknowledged the case's complexity and sensitivity, informing Walker of his sentencing.
He emphasized the seriousness of the crime, stating, “It is clearly a very serious offence.
Inevitably, for offences of this severity and gravity, a prison sentence will be imposed.” The incident occurred in January at a property in Whitworth, where Walker’s victim—a woman in her twenties and a mother—was staying with him.
She woke to find Walker attacking her; she then contacted police, leading to his arrest and charges.
Walker, who has children and was employed in two jobs, argued that he was suffering from sexsomnia and had been asleep during the assault.
The court was informed that Walker had no prior convictions related to sexual offences.
Sexsomnia, a sleep disorder first identified in 1996, involves engaging in sexual activity while in a nonrapid-eye-movement sleep state.
Last year, another case involved Ian Ball, a 35-year-old lorry driver from Ormskirk, who was acquitted of sexual assault after sleep studies suggested he was unaware of his actions during episodes of sleepwalking.
