A former lawyer who broke into a woman's flat wearing fishnet stockings and a g-string has convinced a jury that he was not planning to sexually assault her - because he thought she was a giant panda.

At Desmond Moran's trial at Southwark Crown Court, the unnamed woman described how she had been asleep with her two children when she woke to see Moran staring at her from the bedroom doorway.  "I thought he had an apron on", she said, "but when he went to the window and turned around I could see his bottom".

Moran, who blamed his behaviour on the usual cocktail of crack cocaine and crystal meth, said that he didn't know why he was wearing fishnet stockings and the purple g-string. "I think I was conscious I wasn't wearing trousers," he told the court.

Moran said that he went into the block of flats to look for a bed, but didn't notice the woman. "I honestly thought it was a big panda bear in the bed", he said, "that's what it looked like to me". He fled when the panda started screaming, but was found by police hiding behind the communal bins in the basement.

Bear on the G-string: How it might have looked (to Moran)

Moran, who has been homeless for several years, was charged with trespassing with intent to commit sexual assault. He broke down in tears when the jury cleared him after less than half an hour of deliberations.

Lawyers suffering from stress, bullying, problems with substance abuse or other issues can get in touch with LawCare.

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