A SEVENTIES club singer is facing possible life imprisonment after being found guilty of the attempted rape and sexual assault of a young barmaid more than three decades ago.

Michael Adam Khannan, 58, a convicted rapist, trawled the region’s clubs and pubs performing as a solo artist under the stage name Simon Preston.

Yesterday, Durham Crown Court heard how on January 17, 1978, Khannan grabbed the 19-year-old from behind in Peterlee, County Durham.

Khannan, of Claremont North Avenue, Gateshead, attempted to rape the teenager and then subjected her to a serious sexual assault at knifepoint, threatening he would kill her if she opened her eyes.

The incident happened on the night of a meeting of Equity, the performers’ union, in a nearby pub and during the attack the barmaid was able to retrieve paperwork from Equity from Khannan’s pocket.

The court heard how, a year before the attack, Khannan was released from prison after serving six years for the rape of a woman and two indecent assaults on girls under 14.

The offences took place in South Shields, South Tyneside, in 1972 and bore the hallmarks of the 1978 attack.

The court also heard that in 1999, when working as a music teacher, Khannan indecently assaulted a nine-yearold girl in her own home. For that he received three years in prison.

Advances in DNA profiling led to him emerging as a suspect for the 1978 attack two years ago, when a match was found on samples recovered from the victim’s underwear during a review of sex attacks.

Khannan was arrested, but despite the DNA evidence being put to him, he denied the offence, saying he had a twin brother.

During the three-day trial, which concluded yesterday, Khannan, declined to give evidence.

His claim was labelled a lie and, in any case, Judge David Bryant directed the jury that having a sibling would only reduce the likelihood of a DNA mismatch from one in a billion to one in several thousands.

Earlier, Khannan’s barrister, Paul Cross, said the Equity document found in the attacker’s pocket was a membership card and Khannan had never been a member of the union.

He also pointed to a publicity photograph that showed Khannan with a moustache, adding: “The man who attacked her didn’t have a moustache and she knows that because he kissed her, which must have been a revolting part of this experience.”

Amanda Rippon, prosecuting, told the jury that the victim had been told by police that it was an Equity membership card, but that her recollection was that it was simply a document with the word ‘equity’ on it.

The documents from the original investigation have been destroyed, but Mr Cross said police would have considered Khannan as a suspect at the time, but he was not arrested.

The jury took about 15 minutes to reach a unanimous guilty verdict.

Judge Bryant ordered a presentence report, but told Khannan to expect a prison sentence in double figures or possibly life.

Khannan was remanded in custody and will be sentenced at Teesside Crown Court in the week of February 22.