Oxford student 'distraught' after alleged sex attack

Frank Hollywell, aged 29, pleaded not guilty to one count of assault by penetration and one count of sexual assault in Oxford Crown Court today (12).

He was charged by police after the alleged attack on Thursday, November 11 last year while the woman was on her way home.

READ MORE: Man charged after sex attack near Cowley Road

The jury heard that the Oxford student had been on a night out on Cowley Road with her boyfriend and friends when she found herself 'unexpectedly separated” from them and decided to walk home alone.

She stopped at her boyfriend’s home to grab a few things and left his house at about 12.36pm.

Bartlemas Road where the alleged attack took place (Google Maps)

Christopher Amis, prosecuting, said: “She set off down Cowley Road towards Bartlemas Road. She had what you may consider was quite a lot to drink that night. She told the police was tipsy/drunk.

“At some point between 12.36am and 12.41am after leaving her boyfriends home, she didn’t feel well and sat down between two parked cars in Bartlemas Road.

“It was dark but the streetlights offered good visibility but there were very few people around.

“As she sat there she became aware of a scruffy looking man and there is no dispute that the man she described was the defendant.

READ MORE: 18-year-old from Oxfordshire pleads guilty to terrorism offences

“He was walking down the middle of Bartlemas Road and approached her and sat down next to her on her left side and started talking to her.

“She described the talking as flirting and he was asking her questions. He volunteered to her that he was homeless.

“She was wearing a pair of reasonably loose-fitting leather shorts. As the defendant tried to engage her in conversation, he had his hand on her left thigh and then started running his hand up her thigh.”

The defendant then allegedly put his hand up her shorts and under her underwear, touching her inappropriately.

Oxford Crown Court (Credit: Ed Nix)

Mr Amis added: “She obviously wasn’t expecting that to happen and her immediate reaction was to freeze.”

The student then recognised her friend walking by and was able to flag him down for help. Mr Amis said Hollywell then stopped and “walked away”.

READ MORE: Police desperately hunting for missing man Samuel

She called the police once home and “was absolutely distraught, in tears and barely able to express herself”.

Police were able to arrest Hollywell after finding a “long, white piece of plastic tubing” that he was holding on the evening which was found in a nearby churchyard.

Mr Amis added: “It seems to be that the defendant did not uncommonly carry things around like that, there is nothing sinister, it was just a habit.”

Hollywell admits to speaking with the woman but denies touching her in anyway.

The trial continues.

-

Read more from this author

This story was written by Gee Harland, she joined the team in 2022 as a senior multimedia reporter.

Gee covers Wallingford and Didcot.

Get in touch with her by emailing: Gee.harland@newsquest.co.uk

Follow her on Twitter @Geeharland

A message from our Editor

Thank you for reading this story and supporting the Oxford Mail.

If you like what we do please consider getting a subscription for the Oxford Mail and in return we’ll give you unrestricted access with less adverts across our website from the latest news, investigations, features, and sport.

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Tik Tok for more. 

You can also join the conversation in our Facebook groups: stay ahead of traffic alerts here, keep up to date with the latest from court here, share your favourite memories of Oxford here, get your daily dose of celebrity news here and take some time out with news that will make you smile. 

If you’ve got a story for our reporters, send us your news here. You can also list an event for free here.