A MAN who said he accidentally tumbled on top of a woman after drinking heavily has been cleared of sex offences.

David Howe’s hands were trembling as he left the dock at Oxford Crown Court after jurors today decided his fate.

The 41-year-old drew a deep sigh of relief, grabbing hold of a loved one’s hand after hearing he had been acquitted of sexually assaulting a woman.

A jury of five men and seven women unanimously acquitted him of one count of sexual assault and also found him not guilty by a majority on a further count of the same charge after four hours and 19 minutes of deliberation.

During the trial, the prosecution alleged Mr Howe forced himself upon the woman and groped her chest on August 1 last year.

But in his interview with police, the court heard Mr Howe revealed he had simply fallen on the woman after a heavy drinking session.

Mr Howe told an officer at Abingdon Police Station he had struggled to stand up after plunging on top of the woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons.

The defendant, of Challenor Close, Abingdon, went on to tell the officer: “As I was leaving I went over and I did land on her.

“And I am on top of her and I was trying to get off and she is panicking and is saying ‘what are you doing’ and she said stop."

He added: “I found it hard to get up because I have bad knees and then she is saying ‘get off, get off,’ and says she is going to scream and then I get up and say sorry.”

Mr Howe had drunk between six and seven pints in the hours before the incident, the court heard.

The situation was ‘embarrassing’ and he repeatedly apologised to the woman after falling on her, jurors heard.

Jurors were told the woman ‘panicked’ when she realised Mr Howe was on top of her.