LONDON – A MAN accused of raping a sleeping woman told police he had fallen naked on top of her after tripping over her bed, a court heard.
Shane Baldwin, 31, was arrested in Chatham, Kent, for allegedly attacking the lady while she spent the night in his spare room.
The woman, who has not been named for legal reasons, had been out drinking with friends and was invited to stay at the alleged rapist’s home in nearby Rochester when she became ill.
But having gone to bed she woke in the early hours to find Baldwin “leaning” over her, Maidstone Crown Court heard.
She immediately left the house and the alleged rape was reported to cops.
However, Baldwin denied any wrongdoing, telling officers he had fallen on top of her as he made his way back to his bed after using the toilet.
He also claimed his DNA found on the woman may have come from the shorts she had been given to wear in bed, the court heard.
Baldwin denies one charge of rape, alleged to have occurred in May 2017.
At the start of his trial yesterday, prosecutor Abigail Husbands said the woman and her friends were all drunk during their night out.
Having been sick and gone to stay at Baldwin’s, she was given clothing to wear in bed and went to sleep in the spare room.
“Just past 5am she woke with someone leaning over her,” Miss Husbands said.
“It took her some time to realise where she was. She realised it was Baldwin.”
Miss Husbands said Baldwin left the room and the victim left the house, taking a taxi to a friend’s house.
She told her what had happened and the police were called.
When arrested, Baldwin told officers he had got up in the middle of the night to use the toilet and then headed through the spare room on his way back to bed.
“He said he tripped over the edge of the bed and fell on the victim and apologised. He denied raping her,” Miss Husbands told the jury.
When interviewed for a second time, Baldwin was confronted with the DNA evidence.
But the court heard he maintained he had not had sex with the woman and told officers his DNA may have been transferred because he had previously worn the shorts she had been given to wear in bed.
But when informed that was not scientifically possible, Baldwin told police they had had consensual sex which was initiated by the alleged victim.
SOURCE: thesun.co.uk
