Man convicted of sexually assaulting a woman in Gosport

A man who sexually assaulted a woman in the street in Gosport has been convicted.

Jamie Bicknell, aged 32, of Gregson Avenue in Gosport was found guilty of sexual assault following a trial which began on Monday 20 February at Portsmouth Crown Court.

The court heard that on 2 February 2021, Bicknell entered a restaurant on Stoke Road at around 9.50pm and ordered some food, before being asked to leave due to his drunken behaviour.

At some stage whilst outside the restaurant, he blocked the path of a woman with his arm and began talking to her.

Bicknell began making inappropriate comments towards the woman before asking her for sex.

Portsmouth Crown Court heard that the woman refused and tried to get past Bicknell, before he grabbed her by the throat and continued talking to her.

He then grabbed her hair before sexually assaulting her.

After the assault, Bicknell sat at a bus stop and ate some food. CCTV enquiries determined that he had travelled from Gregson Avenue by bus to the station in Gosport prior to the sexual assault, before walking to Stoke Road.

Further enquiries with the bus company determined that Bicknell had struck up a conversation with the bus driver, to whom he had disclosed his first name and talked about some mutual friends they had.

These enquiries assisted police in identifying and tracking down Bicknell, resulting in his arrest.

He denied the sexual assault, and the case went to trial on 14 March 2022, however the jury were unable to reach a verdict.

Following a re-trial which started at Portsmouth Crown Court on Monday this week (20 February), the jury unanimously found Bicknell guilty of the sexual assault on Thursday 23 February.

Bicknell will appear at the same court for sentencing on 29 March.