Leeds sex attacker who claimed DNA was 'planted' found guilty after just 41 minutes
A jury took minutes to convict a man of a sex attacks on a sleeping woman after he claimed his DNA found on her genitals was planted.
Following a four-day trial at Leeds Crown Court, John Byrne was convicted of two counts of assault by digital penetration. They cleared him of a third charge of sexual assault.
They had only deliberated for 41 minutes before returning unanimous verdicts.
Byrne, 55, attacked the woman as she slept on a sofa following a night of drinking in Cross Gates.
Photos of the woman’s bottom were later found on his phone that he had taken that morning.
Throughout the trial he continued to maintain that somebody else had taken the photos to frame him, while DNA swabs taken from the woman that matched him had been planted.
He claimed there had been no sexual contact between them at all, which the jury quickly rejected.
Following the verdict, Byrne, of Naburn Walk, Whinmoor, was told by Judge Simon Phillips KC he would be held on remand until his sentencing on May 23.
He told him to expect a “lengthy custodial sentence”.
Byrne had been out drinking with a group of people and ended up at a house later in the night on April 8, 2022.
The victim was also present and she fell asleep on the sofa, the jury was told.
The woman later woke up and found Byrne assaulting her and asking if he could sleep with her.
She told him to get off, and threw her trousers at her. She also realised her bra had been pulled down.
The woman went home and “burst into tears”, telling her partner and then calling the police.
Byrne later sent her a message apologising, but he tried to convince the jury that the apology was related to a comment he made in the pub earlier in the night, rather than the assaults.