A DRUG user who broke into a woman’s house and sexually assaulted her blamed his actions on a spiked batch of cocaine.

Charlie Bowyer went into a house in Greenstead in Colchester after taking a quantity of the Class A drug.

Once inside he sexually touched a woman who was asleep in her bed.

The victim's children were in the house at the time.

Bowyer, 25, admitted two counts of sexual assault, trespassing with intent to commit sexual assault, possession of cocaine and possession of cannabis when he appeared at Ipswich Crown Court.

The court heard yesterday Bowyer had threatened to harm himself on the night of the incident on May 21.

Richard Conley, mitigating said: “This is a most unusual case particularly as Mr Bowyer is a man of hitherto good character save for a caution for battery some years ago.

“He struggles to explain how he came to engage in these matters.

“He had taken cocaine but such was the impact on his behaviour it may have been the drugs he had taken were adulterated with some other substance.

“That is the only way he can explain the way he behaved.”

Judge David Goodin agreed sentencing should be adjourned for six weeks while a probation report is prepared into Mr Bowyer and for the cocaine seized to be tested by a pharmacologist for other agents.

Bowyer was warned he could face a prison sentence.

Judge Goodin said: “The offences you have pleaded guilty to are serious ones committed on a female sleeping in her bedroom waking up to find a man there.

“The touching itself may not have been the most grave but the whole experience for her would have been awful.”

Bowyer was living in Colchester at the time of the assaults but is now staying in Luckin Crescent, Chingford. He was bailed until the next hearing but has a curfew to stay at that address between 7pm and 7am each night.

Bowyer is also banned from contacting prosecution witnesses in the case.