A woman told a jury she froze in fear after a man she did not know allegedly put his hand down her trousers after she had been on a night out.
Hassan Abou Hayleh, aged 39, is accused of sexually assaulting the 19-year-old woman on Maiden Street in the town centre in the early hours of December 18, 2022.
Hayleh, of Wentworth Close, Weymouth, denies the charge and is on trial at Bournemouth Crown Court. He claims he was just trying to help the woman and the incident is a 'misunderstanding'.
The woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, told a jury on day two of the trial yesterday that she had been out with friends. They drank at pubs before going to a nightclub.
At around 3.25am, the woman called her dad to pick her up and went to wait for him outside a shop.
She said she was approached by Hayleh, whom she did not know, and he put his hand down her trousers and touched her bottom.
She said Hayleh hugged her and asked her to get inside his car which she refused.
The woman said: "I was scared, I didn't know what to do. I just froze."
She said she raised the alarm with three people she saw walking nearby, telling them that Hayleh had touched her.
Her dad arrived as Hayleh drove away. He told the jury he saw his daughter with the three strangers, distraught and crying.
CCTV viewed by the jury showed the woman lying on the pavement with her feet just in the road.
The defendant is seen to stop his car and approach her before helping her up from the ground. He can be seen standing very close to her, hugging her, and pointing to his car.
When the group of three arrived, the woman can be heard saying 'help me' before going to them. Hayleh is then seen to drive away.
In a police interview Hayleh said he had gone out to try and find a shop selling cigarettes.
He said he saw the woman lying by the side of the road and stopped to help her, asking if she was ok.
Hayley told officers the woman hugged him. He noticed that her trousers were down, exposing part of her bottom, so he reached down and pulled them up.
He told the police the incident was a misunderstanding. He is not a native English speaker and had been trying to help the woman.
The trial continues.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article