admitted yesterday to sexually assaulting a woman.

Selassie, of St. George's, first pleaded not guilty to the charge in the Supreme Court, but after lengthy legal arguments yesterday afternoon he confessed to the crime.

Psychiatric and social inquiry reports have been ordered and sentencing has been set for January 7, 2000.

The incident took place around midnight on May 2. Selassie reportedly jumped from some bushes and applied a cloth soaked in an unknown solvent over the face of a woman who was getting ready to enter her home.

According to Crown counsel Peter Eccles, Selassie then dragged the woman to a basement room in the house, raped her, then fled ripping out the telephone cord as he left.

The victim, Mr. Eccles said, was terrified after the ordeal and too frightened to leave her home.

She remained in the basement room putting a construction block at the door.

According to the Crown, the victim waited some two hours for her brother to return home and when he did not she ran to the street to enlist aid.

She was taken to St. Brendan's Hospital where Police attended and received a description of Selassie from her.

Mr. Eccles noted that the description was not detailed, but that officers investigating the case questioned Selassie two days later and that he confessed four times.

"He gave officers details of the incident that the victim couldn't even remember,'' Mr. Eccles noted.

The Crown decided that a second charge of "with intent to facilitate the commission of a sexual assault did administer a stupefying agent or overpowering thing'', will not be proceeded with at this time but will remain on Selassie's file. Selassie was remanded into custody until his sentencing next year.