CHESHIRE Police have welcomed the conviction of a sex offender who attacked an unconscious man.

Jack Brown, formerly of Albert Road in Grappenhall, was spared jail last week at Liverpool Crown Court after admitting sexual assault.

The 33-year-old assaulted his victim after he had passed out through drinking during an incident in Warrington following a night out in December 2018.

Also known as Jac Brown, the restaurant manager – now of Birmingham – was handed a nine-month imprisonment suspended for 18 months on Friday, January 22.

He had previously pleaded guilty to the offence three days into a trial, shortly after the man he had attacked had given evidence as a witness.

Judge Garrett Byrne instructed the jury to record not guilty verdicts on further counts of rape and assault by penetration after this plea was accepted by the Crown Prosecution Service.

Detective sergeant Helen Newman, who led the investigation into the assault, said today: “I hope that Jac Brown’s guilty plea helps to provide the victim with some closure and enables him to move forward with his life.

“I would like to take this opportunity to encourage other victims of sexual offences to come forward and report them to us.

“Cheshire Police takes any allegation of a sexual offence extremely seriously, both recent incidents and those that occurred in the more distant past.

“Any report will be thoroughly investigated, with the wishes and needs of the victim considered as our main priority.

“Victims should never feel ashamed to talk about what they have been subjected to.

“They will receive the help and support they need from our specialist officers, as well as from support agencies we work alongside, and all victims of sexual offences have the legal right to remain anonymous.”

As previously reported by the Warrington Guardian, the victim described how he was left ‘feeling lost and emotionless’ after the attack.

Brown, who has no previous convictions, was also ordered to sign the sex offenders’ register for 10 years and to pay a £140 victim surcharge.

Cheshire police and crime commissioner David Keane added: “I know that officers work extremely hard at Cheshire Police in an effort to bring sexual offenders to justice.

“I urge anyone who has been the victim of a sexual assault – no matter how long ago the incident took place – to come forward and seek support.

“I will continue to commission services that work directly with victims to ensure that they are listened to and provided with the specialist support they need.”