Footballer jailed for sexually assaulting woman

Cameroonian striker Guy Madjo has been jailed for three-and-a-half years in his absence for the sexual penetration of a woman he invited to stay on his sofa after she was locked out of her home.

Madjo, who played for Plymouth Argyle, Stevenage and Macclesfield Town, as well as the Cameroon under-23 national team, invited her to stay for the night on the sofa of his home where he lived with his wife, who was at home at the time, and she accepted.

Rebecca Austin, prosecuting, told the court that the victim had been drinking in her local pub on the previous evening and returned to her flat to find she had been locked out by her partner.

Miss Austin said the woman, who described herself as "tipsy", fell asleep on the sofa but awoke to find herself being assaulted by the defendant.

A warrant for his arrest was issued by the court in May last year but a decision to go ahead with the trial was taken when he failed to return to the country.

The 31-year-old did not attend the trial.