A 37-year-old man has been found guilty of sexually assaulting a woman in an alley in Telford.

Jurors unanimously recorded a guilty verdict on Slawomir Wilczarski, of King Street, Wellington, at Shrewsbury Crown Court yesterday. Wilczarski, who denied a charge of sexual assault, was remanded in custody to be sentenced at Wolverhampton Crown Court on September 19.

The court heard the victim, a woman in her early 30s, was walking alone on a footpath at the rear of St Agathas Close, in Dothill, when the incident occurred in the early hours of January 23.

The jury was told that as the woman walked along the footpath, the defendant approached her from behind on a bicycle and pushed her to the floor. She was then sexually assaulted.

A local resident heard a commotion and came to the aid of the woman.

Speaking outside court after the conviction, Detective Sergeant Mark Jones, who led the investigation, said: “I am very satisfied with the outcome at court and hope that this conviction acts as some small consolation for the victim.

“This was a particularly worrying attack as the young woman was deliberately targeted by this man and followed for some considerable distance.

“The offender carefully chose the moment to carry out this assault and had it not been for the intervention of a courageous member of the public – who was alerted to her screams and came to her assistance – I have little doubt that the consequences for the victim could have been far more serious.

“I would like to pay tribute to the courage and tenacity of the victim in this case, both during the police investigation and also the court process.

“She has shown great dignity throughout this harrowing experience and I really hope that now this man has been brought to justice she will be able to start to move forward with her life.”

He added: “While incidents of this nature remain extremely rare in Telford, I hope this conviction demonstrates that when they do occur, West Mercia Police are determined to catch those responsible to ensure that the region remains a safe place to live.”

By Wayne Beese