The father of former Premier League stars Gary and Phil Neville, from Bury, launched a drunken sex assault on a woman who had given him a lift home on a cold and snowy night, a jury has heard.

Neville Neville, aged 63, had "far too much to drink" before the alleged incident in Bury in the early hours of March 23, Bolton Crown Court was told.

Neville, of Larkfield Close, Greenmount, whose sons sat in the public gallery as the case against him was outlined, denies the offence.

The jury of eight women and four men was told the incident happened after a night out, when the alleged victim offered the defendant a lift home in the cold, snowy conditions at the time.

Peter Cadwallader, prosecuting, said when she was about to drop him off near his home, he suddenly "lunged" at her and forced his tongue in her mouth.

She said she told him to stop but he persisted and grabbed her breast before he pushed his hand down her trousers and inside her underwear, the prosecutor said.

When she later reported the matter to police, married Neville did not deny the incident took place but claimed it was consensual.

"He accepted what she said had physically happened did happen, save for that it was all with consent," Mr Cadwallader told the jury.

He added: "The Crown say it was not consensual and he knew full well it was not consensual because she told him so."

Mr Cadwallader said she was effectively pinned to her seat as she told him to stop when he began kissing her.

He continued: "The Crown would say he had far too much to drink.

"The defendant did not stop with kissing her. He pushed his hand up her top and grabbed her breast.

"By that stage she was feeling more and more distraught and frightened by the persistence.

"She did not know what it would end with."

He then pushed his hand down her trousers as he attempted unsuccessfully to undo the buttons, the court heard.

He then sexually assaulted her in a "rough" manner, the court was told.

She continued to tell him to stop and eventually the defendant got out of the car and she drove off, said Mr Cadwallader.

The prosecutor added: "She was in a distraught condition. She did not know at that stage what to do."

He said she had been so frightened that she had wet herself in the car.

She made a complaint to the police about the sexual encounter and Neville was subsequently arrested.

Mr Cadwallader said: "Essentially he agreed with what (the alleged victim) had said.

"He accepted that what she said had physically happened did happen save for that it was all with consent."

Mr Cadwallader said it was the Crown's case that the woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, did not consent to the sexual activity and the defendant did not reasonably believe that she had consented.