Male NHS nurse from Woodley says sex attack "wasn't me"

Steven Hicks, 60, of Quentin Road, Woodley, has been standing trial at Reading Crown Court over the past week.

The healthcare professional is charged with sexually assaulting an 85-year-old woman, alleged to have occurred on January 5, 2022. He denies the allegations. 

On Tuesday, prosecuting barrister William Eaglestone grilled Mr Hicks, who is defending himself.

The woman claims she invited a man in medical overalls into her home, after he claimed he was there for a routine assessment.

By the complainant's account, the man made efforts to conceal his identity, donning a pair of glasses and a mask.

After she lay down on her bed, the woman says the attacker penetrated her with his fingers and placed his face against crotch.

When she complained, the man apologised, telling her he had got "carried away". 

He then fled - and was captured on CCTV leaving the house.

Mr Hicks, an accredited nurse, was linked to the case by DNA evidence but told the court on Wednesday, "it wasn't me". 

He said that he knew the woman, having attended her house for a legitimate care visit just a month before the incident.

No assault is alleged to have occurred on this occasion - but Mr Eaglestone told the court that Mr Hicks effectively used his position as a nurse to prey on the pensioner.

Addressing the defendant, Mr Eaglestone said: "You knew she lived alone, didn't you? You knew there'd be no-one else there, didn't you?

"You went over there in your navy blue scrubs ... You put on some thick-framed glasses as a kind of disguise, covered up your tattoos."

Mr Hicks told jurors that the only contact he had with the complainant was during the care visit in December 2021.

He said this is how his DNA ended up on her jogging bottoms.

Hicks stated: "I did not go and assault her two weeks later, on January 5.

"I didn't disguise myself. I didn't meet the description that she gave. It wasn't me."

Mr Hicks has given varying accounts of his movements on the day of the assault.

He maintains he spent the afternoon with his son, but claims he cannot positively remember where he went in the evening.

The defendant told police before the trial that he made a trip to Asda, but Mr Eaglestone said there is no phone or debit card evidence suggesting this took place.

Mr Hicks said: "I've tried my hardest to prove - through bank statements, whatever - where I was on January 5.

"Unfortunately, I've not been able to do that successfully. But I've tried."

The court heard that Mr Hicks allegedly accessed the pensioner's medical records on multiple occasions in the week leading up to the assault.

The last of these accesses occurred just hours before the attack, when Mr Hicks claims he was with his son.

The defendant insists this was strictly for work purposes - but Mr Eaglestone said the woman not receiving any care visits at all at this stage.

The prosecutor told Hicks: "You're changing your story to fit the evidence."

The trial continues.