David John Greentree, 48, was at a work Christmas party and had already allegedly tried to inappropriately touch his male colleagues when he was denied entry to the Newcastle Hotel at Islington on December 10, last year.

At the same time, a young woman finishing her shift at a nearby restaurant headed to her van when she was attacked by Greentree.

Police facts show Greentree had already been drinking at the Hamilton Station Hotel and the Kent before heading towards Maitland Road.

The labourer's colleagues were allowed into the Newcastle Hotel, but Greentree was denied entry due to his level of intoxication and argued with a security guard before walking off alone.

At about 11:30pm, the victim had finished her shift and opened the passenger side door of her van to reach for perfume in her centre console.

That's when Greentree snuck up behind her, pushing her into the van with what the victim described as a "vicious look" in his eyes.

He told the victim "no one is going to hear you scream" while attacking her, until a passerby saw what was happening and stopped Greentree.

They called 000 and kept following him until he ran along Fern Street and hid, eventually leaving his hiding spot to go back to the Kent for a nightcap.

At almost 1am, Greentree texted his wife asking her to pick him up at McDonalds - when she arrived at 2am he was asleep on the grass outside.

DNA evidence on a pair of sunglasses left in the van was identified as Greentree's, and he was arrested three days later at his workplace.

Police evidence shows Greentree told officers he had "more full-strength beer than he should have" arguing he didn't remember the attack, saying "No, no way I would have done that, I can't remember but I didn't do it, I just can't believe it happened".

"I'm not gunna [sic] deny it, but I can't remember doing it," he told police.

Greentree will remain in custody until he returns to court for sentence in March, next year.

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