Man denies targeting drunk students in Cardiff and Manchester

A man has denied targeting student nights and accommodation in Cardiff and Manchester looking for drunk women to rape and sexually assault.

Tahir Nazir, 40, from Glasgow, denies sexual assault, attempted rape and four trespass offences.

Manchester Crown Court heard he was caught in a Cardiff house on September 22 "on top" of a very drunk student.

On 1 November, a woman in Hulme, Manchester, said she woke to find him "licking her neck".

He was arrested on 6 November after woman in a shared house in Fallowfield, Manchester, became concerned someone was trying the doors of their rooms in the early hours of the morning.

The prosecution have alleged Mr Nazir has a sexual interest in undergraduates and has travelled up and down the country looking for student nights and accommodation.

Image source, Stephen Richards/ Geograph

But Mr Nazir told the jury he decided to go on a "trip of a lifetime" by car through the UK, knowing he would have to return to Pakistan soon to see his sick father.

He denied claims his trips to university towns Inverness, Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Manchester, Oxford, Bristol and Cardiff had a sexual purpose.

He told the court he loved driving and was "inspired by Gothic architecture".

He admitted having a fake university ID, which he said he used for discounts, and Viagra in his car, which he said gave him energy for clubbing.

The case continues.