A Policeman charged with sexually assaulting a female visitor told the court that it was she who first made advances on him and said he was totally surprised when the woman became upset and accused him of violating her.

The suspended officer, who cannot be named for legal reasons, denies sexually assaulting the woman on December 8 last year.

On the stand yesterday, he told prosecutor Oonagh Vaucrosson in Magistrates' Court that he had believed the woman was a willing participant in the incident and that he was surprised when she got up and left the bedroom to sleep on the sofa.

He admitted that although having been a Policeman for ten years, he had never worked on a sex assault case and did not know the dictionary definition of the word violation.

The court has heard this week that the woman was staying on the Island with a Police officer friend, who worked with the accused, at the time of the alleged incident.

She has alleged that after a night out socialising with her friends, including the accused, she awoke in bed to find the Police officer on top of her and her trousers and underwear down to her knees.

She told the court that the accused had touched her in her private parts, before she got up and left the room.

But the man claimed that he believed the woman had been a willing participant, and had even come on to him.

He said he was originally sleeping on the sofa, but was kept awake by his Police officer friend and another woman, who were kissing on the floor beside him.

The accused claimed he decided to go to the bedroom where the woman was sleeping. He asked her if she knew about the couple in the living room, and then asked if she was ok.

He said he believed she may have been having a relationship with his friend, and so thought she might be upset that he was now with another woman.

The accused told the court that he asked if he could get in the bed, and after she said yes, he then climbed in fully clothed and asked the woman if she needed a hug.

He told the court it was obvious she had heard him because she began kissing him. Although he thought it was strange, he said he did not push her away or say no.

He claimed that she then undressed herself and undressed him, before playing with his private parts.

But the accused said when he did not get an erection, he played with her instead.

It was after that that the woman got out of bed, put on a pair of tracksuit bottoms and went into the living room.

After initially waiting for her to return, he said he went to the living room to find her curled up on the sofa.

And when he approached her, she is then said to have told him that he had violated her.

"I saw her lying on the settee (couch) in the foetus position," said the accused.

"She was then whispering - a loud whisper.

"I was finding it difficult to calm her down - she said something about violation and I wasn't sure what she was upset about or whether she was upset at seeing the other couple together on the floor sleeping."

Mrs. Vaucrosson asked why the victim would have been upset by seeing the other couple together.

She said she found it hard to believe that the victim would have been upset or embarrassed at the two people on the floor as the other officer had told the accused earlier that his girlfriend had just left the Island and that both he and the victim were simply friends.

The accused said he first went into the bedroom to tell the victim that his colleague, whose apartment it was, and another woman were together in the living room.

But Mrs. Vaucrosson asked why he would want to tell the victim that when she was sleeping.

He said: "I figured she already knew, but I told her."

The alleged victim, when cross examined by defence lawyer Kim Wilson, denied concocting the story of sexual assault to prevent problems in her relationship with her Policeman friend, whom she was visiting.

The trial will continue on Monday before Magistrate Will Francis.