A TEENAGER who dragged a woman into an alleyway on his way to work before carrying out a ‘brutal’ sex attack has been convicted.

Cheikhouna Lo, of Hendred Street, Oxford, had denied carrying out the late-night attack at Seesen Way, Wantage, and told jurors the woman had come on to him first - despite her screams for help.

A jury panel of seven men and five women rejected the 18-year-old's argument, however, and found him unanimously guilty of attempted rape, assault by penetration and of committing an offence with intent to commit a sexual offence.

Jurors deliberated for a total of eight hours and 26 minutes as his short trial came to an end at Oxford Crown Court today (Friday).

During the hearing prosecutor Charles Ward-Jackson told the court that Lo had been on the Stagecoach-operated S8 bus travelling to Sainsbury’s, Wantage, where he worked as a cleaner on the midnight shift.

His victim - a 27-year-old woman who cannot be named for legal reasons - also got off the bus at his stop on the night of June 11.

Lo then followed the woman who was described in court as being ‘tipsy’ and holding a bottle of alcohol at the time.

After a short discussion with her about calling a taxi, what Mr Ward-Jackson said was a ruse, Lo then grabbed hold of her while outside a BP garage [pictured] before dragging her off to a nearby alleyway.

Mr Ward-Jackson said: “He dragged her down a secluded pathway.

“She screamed for help, luckily there were people in the vicinity and motor cars clearly stopped and came to her assistance.

“The defendant gets away and was arrested a few days later.”

He added that the woman appeared ‘in a distressed state’ when passers-by came to help her and a number of eye-witnesses described hearing shouts and screams during the ordeal.

One eye-witness said they heard the woman shouting ‘help me’ and ‘he is raping me’ while the attack was being carried out.

The woman also suffered a series of injuries as a result of the ordeal and was punched during the rape bid.

She suffered various scratches over her body as well as bruising and swelling to her face, which the court heard was a result of the attack and punches thrown by Lo.

When Lo - a Senegalese national - was arrested by police he told officers that his victim had in fact invited him to her house and claimed that he thought she was a prostitute.

Taking to the witness box during the trial and speaking through the aid of an interpreter he accepted he had lifted up the woman’s dress but denied carrying out the attack.

He said: “She said something like ‘hey boy’ at the beginning.

“‘Hey boy’ I could understand that because it is words that we use in French. She had her arms around my shoulder and there was a bench and we sat down there.”

Lo went on to tell the court that it was here that the woman kissed him, before he offered to let her use his phone to call a taxi.

Asked why he had picked up her and taken her towards the alleyway he said it was to ‘keep her safe’ as she was sat at a traffic island in the middle of the road.

During cross examination, Lo told the court that he went on to lift up the woman’s dress while in the alleyway telling jurors ‘I thought that she wanted to be with me’ but added that he left the scene when the woman continued to scream.

Asked if he believed then that the woman wanted to have sex with him Lo replied: “At that time I didn’t know whether she wanted or not.”

Lo will be sentenced at the same court on November 9.