A HOMELESS man foamed at the mouth as he carried out a sex attack after eating mind-bending berries.

John Clark ate the hallucinogenic berries as he slept rough in a field shortly before he arrived dishevelled on the doorstep of a friend's flat.

Teesside Crown Court heard how he was acting strangely, but was given a hot drink, a bath and clean clothes by the "Good Samaritan".

Clark asked if he could have a bed for the night and the couple reluctantly agreed - but within minutes the disturbed visitor called his host into the bedroom where he found him committing a sex act.

Shaun Dodds, prosecuting, told the court that 35-year-old Clark then followed the shocked householder into the lounge and punched him twice in the face - leaving him with a chipped tooth and bruises.

The victim fled from the flat to use a phone kiosk to alert police - while Clark turned his attention to his 21-year-old girlfriend.

Mr Dodds said: "Still naked, Clark was foaming at the mouth as he grabbed hold of the woman and she struggled. They fell to the floor and he had his arm wrapped around her throat from beh-ind. She was terrified. She was grabbing objects and hitting him over the head to no avail."

Clark, of no fixed address but originally from Bishop Auckland, County Durham, then tore off her clothes and sexually assaulted his terrified victim.

As police arrived and handcuffed Clark, he continued to struggle and told officers; "Take these fingers off, I want them replaced with thumbs."

In police custody Clark said; "I can prove it. I did it. At least it wasn't gang rape."

In a confused interview he said; "I must have flipped."

Doctor Richard Pyett, a consultant forensic psychiatric, said in a report yesterday that Clark was not suffering from a treatable mental illness.

John Temple, defending, said; "He now presents as a pleasant young man and quietly spoken.

"He ate some form of berry which may have been a berry which has some hallucinogenic effects."

Judge Tim Hewitt told builder Clark, who had been in custody for ten months: "This was a serious indecent assault accompanied by violence."

Clark was jailed for five years and was ordered to register as a sex offender for life after he pleaded guilty to the indecent assault and actual bodily harm assault last March.