A MAN accused of sexually assaulting a woman out for her daily exercise did not give evidence in his defence.

After prosecution barrister Dan Cordey closed the case for the prosecution against Thomas Joshua Bird, 30, defence barrister Thomas Moran announced that there would be no defence evidence.

Judge Simon Hickey asked if he had warned Bird that the jury could draw their own conclusions about his decision not to go into the witness box.

Mr Moran said he had. He then closed the defence case.

Bird, of Fairfield, Fairburn, denies three charges of sexual assault, two alternative charges of attempted sexual assault and one of failure to provide police with the PIN for his mobile phone.

The jury at York Crown Court heard that police needed the PIN so they could check where Bird had been at the time the woman was assaulted using location data on his phone.

But he had declined to give them the PIN or pass code on both occasions when they had interviewed him.

And he had not done so when served with a formal notice to do so.

The trial continues.