Woman asks for break during cross-examination by counsel for Worcestershire cricketer

This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

A woman who was allegedly raped by a professional cricketer has broken down in court after being cross-examined about how she acted during the alleged attack.

The complainant asked for a break in her testimony when she became tearful during questioning on behalf of the Worcestershire all-rounder Alex Hepburn.

Hepburn, 23, denies raping the woman, who told the court she was initially asleep and wrongly thought she was having sex with the former Worcestershire batsman Joe Clarke.

A jury at Worcester crown court has been told Hepburn and Clarke were involved in a sexual conquest “game”, after setting up a “stat chat” page to keep a record of sex with women.

During her evidence on the second day of the trial, the alleged victim rejected a suggestion that her memory of her initial sexual contact with Hepburn was “not completely clear”.

Hepburn’s barrister, Michelle Heeley QC, asked the woman whether she was “fairly drunk” after drinking wine, prosecco and spirits during a night out prior to the alleged rape in April 2017. The complainant responded: “I was tipsy but well aware of what I was doing.”

After the woman told the court some of the details of what happened on the night were “a bit hazy”, Heeley asked her whether she had remained still during sex with Hepburn.

The witness, giving evidence from behind a curtain, began sobbing and accepted the judge’s offer of a break in proceedings.

Following a 15-minute adjournment, Heeley suggested Hepburn and the woman had “moved around the bed” during the alleged rape over a period of at least 20 minutes. The alleged victim told the jury: “I was asleep. From what I can remember I was lying still on my back.”

During her evidence, the woman denied she had felt Hepburn get into bed, woken up, opened her eyes, begun to kiss him and then performed a sex act on him.

Heeley said: “Nothing that you had said or done would have told Mr Hepburn that you weren’t enjoying this sex?”

The woman replied: “I pushed him off when I realised, but before, no.”

At the end of her cross-examination, Heeley said: “I suggest it is a possibility that your memory of how sex with Alex Hepburn started is not completely clear?”

The witness answered: “No.”

Later on Tuesday, Clarke gave evidence, telling the court he had consensual sex with the woman before leaving her in a bedroom to be sick in a bathroom, where he fell asleep. The next thing he remembered was the woman waking him and claiming she had been raped by Hepburn, the jury heard.

Asked by the prosecutor, Miranda Moore QC, what his reaction had been, Clarke, 22, said: “I was very shocked. I put my head in my hands and just questioned it.”

Clarke, the court was told, then asked Hepburn about the claims and “he just said no and shook his head”.

Questioned by Heeley, Clarke said the woman had sought him out in August or September 2017 and told him she wanted to drop the case, “but they won’t let me”.

In her final question to Clarke, Heeley asked: “Is Alex still your best friend?” Clarke responded: “Yes.”

Hepburn, of Worcester, denies two counts of rape. The trial continues.