London man convicted of sexual assault on drinking woman avoids jail

LONDON MAN CONVICTED OF SEXUAL ASSAULT ON DRINKING WOMAN AVOIDS JAIL

Louis Woods, a 28-year-old man from Wandsworth, a district in London, was convicted of two counts of penetration after a jury trial.

The incident took place outside the Birkbeck University bar in Bloomsbury, central London, on March 18, 2019, where Woods touched the complainant intimately.

The victim, who had consumed Guinness, rum, Jagermeister, and vodka, went outside to the smoking area to get some air, during which Woods assaulted her.

Woods denied the charges of assault by penetration and expressed being heartbroken over the allegations.

However, the court found him guilty of two counts of penetration based on the jury's verdict.

He was sentenced to two years in imprisonment, suspended for two years, with the requirement to perform 200 hours of unpaid work and attend 40 days of rehabilitation.

Woods is also to remain on the Sex Offenders’ Register for ten years.

Prosecutor Liam Gregory stated that 'she did not consent to a sexual act...

Mr Woods could not reasonably believe there was consent when he carried out this act.' The woman recounted that she felt intoxicated and unconscious during the incident, and described Woods kissing her head and shoulder, and telling her to 'come home with me.' She sent messages to her boyfriend describing her drunken state and her assault, and later reflected that it was wrong, feeling violated and in shock afterward.