UK jury retires in Aust cricketer sex case

.A jury in England is considering its verdict in the case of an Australian cricketer accused of raping a sleeping woman.

Alex Hepburn arrives at Worcester Crown Court where he is charged with two counts of rape alleged to have been committed in 2017.. Picture date: Wednesday January 9, 2019. See PA story COURTS Cricketer. Photo credit should read: Ben Birchall/PA Wire

Alex Hepburn arrives at Worcester Crown Court where he is charged with two counts of rape. Source: AAP

The jury in the trial of an Australian cricketer accused of raping a sleeping woman has retired to consider its verdicts.

Former Worcestershire all-rounder Alex Hepburn denies raping the woman in April 2017, claiming they had consensual sex in which she "actively engaged" after opening her eyes and kissing him.

The Crown claims the Perth-born 23-year-old began to rape the woman while she was asleep in his best friend's bed after he became "fired up" by a competition to sleep with the most women.

In her evidence to the court on Tuesday, the woman, who cannot be identified, told the court she was initially asleep during the alleged attack and then wrongly assumed Hepburn was his then team-mate Joe Clarke.

The woman, who had earlier had consensual sex with England Lions batsman Clarke at the cricketers' flat, was horrified when she realised she was in bed with Hepburn, the jury heard.

Hepburn, of Worcester, told the city's Crown Court on Wednesday that he only saw the woman was in his team-mate's room after getting into bed beside her.

Prosecutors allege Hepburn was motivated by a sexual conquest "game" - after setting up a "stat chat" page on WhatsApp to keep a record of sex with women.

During his evidence, Hepburn - who was born in Western Australia and moved to England in 2013 to pursue his cricket career - fought back tears while being asked about the WhatsApp group.

He said he was "completely embarrassed" by comments he made on the chat group, describing it as immature chat between friends.

Before the jury retired to consider its verdicts on two counts of rape, Judge Jim Tindal said the panel would have "no deadlines" and should take its time discussing the case.

During his summing up, the judge said Hepburn had posted the rules of the game to the WhatsApp group five days before the alleged rape.

The game had been played during the previous season, the judge said, adding: "It was effectively a competition - and I regret to use this word but it seems to be accurate - to 'collect' as many sexual conquests as possible.

"It's about 'collecting' new girls - to them, 'freshies', as they put it."


Share
3 min read

Published



Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world