A car crash victim who was praised by a government minister for taking part in a television road safety campaign has been charged with a sexual assault.

Melvyn Bussell, from Lisgoole Park, Enniskillen, appeared at Fermanagh Court accused of sexually touching a woman on November 2, last year. He denies the charge.

The alleged victim cannot be named for legal reasons.

Bussell appeared in the Crashed Lives advertising campaign on UTV in January and February of last year.

The 30-year-old suffered a serious brain injury in a crash in 2002 and appeared in court accompanied by his mother.

Defence solicitor Conor Heaney explained that Dr. Ian Bownes, a forensic psychiatrist, had compiled a report on Bussell's fitness to plead to the charge.

He said he had given a copy of the report to the prosecution and it was continuing to pursue the charge against Bussell.

"He wishes to contest the case," added Mr. Heaney.

He said that in his report Dr. Bownes indicated that Bussell has a "very significant disability" relating to a head injury. He has difficulty speaking and finding words and according to the forensic psychiatrist it would take "an inordinate amount of time" to hear the case.

The case was adjourned until September 3.

Bussell was just 19 when he crashed his car while driving through Enniskillen on May 24, 2002. He had been drinking, was speeding and wasn't wearing a seat-belt. He was left with a serious brain injury and as a result he is still very dependent upon his mother, Dawn. She appeared alongside him in the television advert, telling their story, because Bussell has great difficulty communicating as a result of the injuries he sustained. She described how her life changed forever from the moment of the crash. She said her live has been turned upside down and everything she does is shaped around her son.

"People need to understand it's not just their life that crashes," she stated.

The mother and son were among a number of people whose "real life" stories featured in Crashed Lives, a Department of Environment road safety campaign.

Speaking at its launch, Environment Minister Alex Attwood said: "Brave individuals and families have chosen to tell their heartbreaking story in the hope that they can prevent other people suffering in the same way. I am enormously grateful that they have told of their experience - I hope it is widely heard.

"They are ordinary people, like you and me. Their emotion is raw and very real. They each tell how their lives have been altered, in various tragic circumstances, and how road collisions have changed their lives forever.

"The over-whelming consequences of road collisions have far-reaching effects on family, relatives, friends, work colleagues and whole communities," he added.

"These stories are the stories behind the headlines. They don't want other families to suffer tragically changed lives after losing a loved one on our roads - nor others to endure such life-changing injuries," stated Mr. Attwood.

The Crashed Lives television adverts ran from January 12, to the end of February 2012.

They can be viewed at www.crashedlives.com