A DRUNKEN sex pest snuck into the bed of his victim while she was sleeping and sexually assaulted her. 

Frank Manase was at the same house party as his victim, a 21-year-old woman, when the incident happened on May 16, 2021. 

The victim had initially been out drinking in Warrington town centre before going back to a house party to drink with friends when she first met Manase. 

Prosecuting, Martine Snowdon said at one stage of the party, the victim and the defendant were dancing with each other, and she gave him her phone number, but as far as she was concerned ‘nothing was going to happen’. 

Later in the evening the victim went up to the guest bedroom in the house to get some sleep. 

The court heard how the 34-year-old defendant went into the room where the victim was sleeping. 

“The victim woke up and the defendant was behind her kissing her neck and touching her shoulders,” Ms Snowdon said. 

“The defendant was in her bed under the covers with her.” 

As he began to make sexual gestures, the victim ‘turned away from him’, signalling she wanted Manase to stop. 

He ignored this and proceeded to grope her under her top while the female tried to push him away. 

Manase then tried to put his hands down towards her lower region, but she turned onto her stomach, and he eventually stopped. 

The victim heard a voice from outside the door and shouted to someone before escaping the room and running downstairs.  She then revealed to a friend at the party that she had just been sexually assaulted by Manase. 

“The defendant left the house at 7.30am. After the incident the victim received messages from the defendant apologising for what had happened.” 

Manase was identified in an ID parade by a witness in March the following year but was not interviewed again until April. 

There was a year delay between this and Manase being charged for his offending. 

The brave victim appeared before Liverpool Crown Court for the sentencing of the defendant last Friday. 

She read out a victim impact statement to the court, saying: “The incident has put me in many uncomfortable positions. 

“I felt so embarrassed and powerless. I still flinch when I am touched unexpectedly.  

“It took a long time for me to feel safe in the skin that I am in.” 

Defending, Steven McNally told the courts that his client is an HGV driver who provides for his family not only at home but for family members in his home country of Tanzania in Africa. 

Mr McNally added that after losing his parents and sister in a short period of time, Manase pays towards helping his family oversees including enabling his nieces to go to school. 

Referring to the sexual assault, the defence barrister said: “He said he had been attracted to the victim. In the pre-sentence report he acknowledges how bad his behaviour was.” 

Concluding the hearing, Judge Gary Woodhall said: “It is clear you admitted you had consumed a lot of alcohol. 

“You were able to articulate how what you did was wrong, but you were struggling personally to understand why you acted that way. 

Judge Woodhall added that the offence was aggravated by the fact Manase had been under the influence of drink and drugs and by the ‘particularly vulnerable’ state the victim was in at the time. 

Manase, of Malpas Grove, Wallasey, was served a 11-month custodial sentence, suspended for a year. 

He was also ordered to carry out 45 rehabilitation days and 150 hours of unpaid work.