Alan Keeney, 44, from Gateshead, sexually assaulted a woman in her own home after arriving uninvited with instant coffee as a supposed gift. Despite insisting he 'wasn't a creep', he forced his way inside and attacked her on her sofa.
Victim's Ongoing Trauma
The woman, deeply traumatised, has since moved out of fear that Keeney would return. In a victim impact statement read at Newcastle Crown Court, she said: 'A home is a place where you should feel safe and secure. This has been taken away from me. I am now terrified of being alone in my home. Every door knock or door bell ringing has me terrified that the same thing will happen again. I am now suffering with anxiety and depression and require medication for this. I have been suicidal as a result of this and I'm constantly looking over my shoulder.'
The Assault Details
On August 29, 2024, Keeney and the victim were on the same bus. He later arrived at her home, and she heard someone trying her door handle and knocking. Prosecutor Ms Shada Mellor told the court: 'She went to look through the peephole but, on her way, stepped on a creaky floorboard, making it obvious to the person on the other side of the door that someone was at home.' When she answered, Keeney held instant coffee, called it a gift, and repeatedly asked to enter. The woman said her home was 'messy' and she didn't want anyone inside, but Keeney dismissed her protests, saying not to be mean because he was being nice, and entered.
Once inside, Keeney asked if she had showered yet and told her to shower, insisting he 'won't peek' and that he wasn't a creep. He repeatedly put his hand down his trousers, then sat next to her on the sofa, touched her leg, and made comments about a medical TV show and seeing women's underwear on it. He also mentioned seeing a woman's black thong on the bus. He placed his hand on her lower back and moved it to her bottom. He only left when the victim's partner arrived with his father and told him to leave.
Sentencing and Previous Convictions
Keeney, of Ripley Court, Harlow Green, Gateshead, pleaded guilty to sexual assault. He has one prior conviction for criminal damage. The court heard he was intoxicated at the time, has borderline intellectual function, and did not register that the woman did not want him in her home. Judge Nathan Moxon sentenced him to nine months in prison, suspended for 15 months, with a five-year restraining order and a 40-day rehabilitation activity requirement.
