Australian Cricketer Allegedly Raped Sleeping Woman
Australian cricketer Alex Hepburn is on trial in the UK for allegedly raping a sleeping woman while playing a sex contest “game” with his mates on WhatsApp.
A UK court has heard the victim woke up to find Hepburn performing a sex act on her, after she had had consensual sex with his team-mate Joe Clarke after a night out in April 2017.
The alleged victim said she realised she was not with Clarke (who had left the room to be sick) when she felt Hepburn’s hair and heard his Australian accent.
Upon the realisation the woman, who cannot be identified, called Hepburn a “sick bastard” and phoned a friend to tell her about the alleged rape, reports The Guardian.
According to the BBC, a member of the public called emergency services after finding the woman “distressed and crying” in the street following the alleged attack.
Hepburn, 23, has denied two counts of rape, claiming the woman was awake and the sexual contact was consensual.
The prosecution presented WhatsApp messages from Hepburn’s phone as evidence, alleging that he took part in a “stat chat” sex contest group in which members recorded details of women they had slept with.
Members of the group competed to have sex with as many “freshies” as they could over the English summer, sharing their conquest’s name, age and rating their “performance” out of 10.
The “winner” won bragging rights and a free night out paid for by the other members.
At the end of the opening address, the prosecution told the jury, “The ‘score’ that he [Hepburn] hoped to make may well help you in the explanation as to what he was doing to her. He saw that girl asleep in the bed and decided to take advantage.”
The trial continues this week.
