A woman has told a court she woke to discover a man breathing close to her face during an alleged sexual assault.

Shaun Smith, who resides on Bernwood Road in Headington, is appearing before Oxford Crown Court.

The defendant is 46 years old and has entered pleas of not guilty to charges of rape, sexual assault and two counts of assault by penetration.

The rape is said to have occurred in 2000, with the sexual assault allegedly taking place in 2012. The two assault by penetration charges relate to incidents in March 2017 and August 2022.

On Wednesday March 25, jurors viewed a recorded police interview with the complainant in the most recent alleged incident.

The fourth incident allegedly happened on August 6 2022 at Smith’s residence. The court was told a woman had been sleeping on his settee when she awoke to find Smith beside her, engaging in sexual touching.

She stated they had been consuming alcohol and enjoying themselves earlier. She had gone outside for a cigarette before sitting down and falling asleep. She woke to hear him breathing in her ear. She felt his hand on her leg and pushed him away. Once she realised the person was not her partner, she pushed him away again and became very frightened. She then went back to sleep. She described pretending it had not happened, as though it were a bad dream.

She further explained that he had been positioned behind her, his hand on her thigh and over the outside of her underwear. She believed it was her partner but he kept his hand there firmly. He then jumped up and apologised repeatedly. She said she could not understand his motivation.

Charles Ward-Jackson, representing the prosecution, previously informed the jury that the first incident occurred following an evening out at a venue called Downtown Manhattan in Oxford during 2000.

At the conclusion of that evening, Smith is said to have been present in a flat in Oxford alongside three other individuals.

The prosecutor told the jury the complainant had been asleep but awoke to discover items of her clothing had been taken off. She alleged that Smith was engaged in sexual intercourse with her.

Jurors previously heard that the second incident allegedly occurred at a property in Sussex in 2012.

Smith is said to have climbed into bed with a couple after consuming alcohol before allegedly sexually touching a woman.

The court was told the third incident allegedly happened on March 17 2017 after drinking at a public house in Headington.

Smith asked a woman to accompany him to his residence, which she accepted. She fell asleep and later woke to find Smith in bed with her. She has alleged he sexually touched her.

The trial remains ongoing.