Dwight Saunders was found guilty Wednesday of sexually assaulting a disabled woman at a St. John's party. (CBC)

A Newfoundland Supreme Court jury has found a St. John's man guilty of sexual assault in an unusual case involving a disabled woman.

The jury on Wednesday found Dwight Saunders guilty of an assault at a 2008 party in St. John's, against a woman whose vision is impaired and who was not able to speak in court.

Saunders's face reddened when he heard the verdict. When he was told he would be held in custody prior to sentencing, he began to cry heavily.

The jury also found Saunders, 23, guilty of theft of a laptop from the woman's apartment.

The jury was told that the complainant has mitochondrial disease, which affects her sight, balance and speech.

The woman was not able to give a positive identification of Saunders when she went to police, which defence lawyer Lori Marshall used as a pivotal point in her appeal to the jury to return with a not guilty verdict.

The Crown used other evidence to convict Saunders in the case, including witness testimony.

As well, the complainant told the jury that she recognized Saunders when she saw him in the courtroom.

During an emotional exchange last week, the complainant broke down after Marshall brought question after question about the night of the assault.

The woman typed her answers for the jury to read, and insisted that her account of how Saunders assaulted her was true.

The assault stopped when another man pulled Saunders away. That man, however, was not a white knight, and had already been convicted of assault against the same complainant.