Lewis Tappenden, 24, is accused of raping a girl in room at York St John University halls of residence

A drunken teenage undergraduate went out ‘on the pull’ and took a young man home for sex but changed her mind and later accused him of raping her, a court heard yesterday.

The woman did not know Lewis Tappenden, 24, but they began kissing less than a minute after starting to dance together in a nightclub.

She willingly got into bed naked with him at her halls of residence, but the jury was told she ‘had the right to change her mind’.

The prosecution claimed she said ‘no’ but Tappenden held her down to have sex, and he was later ejected by security after she alerted flatmates to his presence in her room.

But Tappenden, who had recently been a student of York St John University, where his 18-year-old ‘victim’ was a first-year undergraduate, insisted she consented and he was innocent.

He told York Crown Court: ‘She never said “no.” If she had I would not have done anything. I’m not a violent person in any scenario.

‘I understand what consent is. I feel my life has been ruined. I thought about killing myself because of the shame of coming here.’

The defendant told police the woman had flirted with him and ‘clearly said she wanted sex with me more than once’.

The alleged victim was due to be picked up by her father the next day and was said to be worried about two love bites on her face. She went to police at lunchtime, but didn’t even know the man’s name.

At the time Tappenden had a girlfriend, who recognised his umbrella tattoo from a later police appeal to identify the rapist and reported him.

She knew he had cheated on her that night as he didn’t return home until the next morning, the court was told. Tappenden, of Huntington, Cambridgeshire, denies raping the student in October 2015.

Tappenden, a former student at York St John University, denies rape and says the sex was consensual

Prosecutor Tom Storey told the jury: ‘This case, the prosecution says, is a case of a woman’s right to change her mind and decide whilst she may initially have wanted something to happen, when it came to the crunch, she no longer wanted it to take place.’

The teenager had been partying all week and decided to go out with a group of first-year friends at midnight on a Thursday after drinking cider in their university residence.

One of the student’s friends said: ‘She said she was going to pull that night. She was upset over a relationship she had with someone at home. She wanted it to be more official and he had stepped back and said he didn’t want that.’

The woman had more to drink than normal and ended up in a club called the Drawing Room, where the group ordered Red Bull and vodkas.

A friend said she was seen kissing a skinny boy in a leather jacket and jeans ‘less than a minute’ after they began dancing.

Tappenden and the student, 18, are alleged to have gone back together after meeting for the first time on a night out

In his account Tappenden, who had studied English literature and creative writing at the university, said she complimented him on his hair as they chatted at the bar.

‘She had several times mentioned that she wanted me to take me back to have sex,’ he said.

The woman allegedly told him: ‘I don’t want to know you afterwards – I just want to f*** you.’ He said: ‘I decided I would go back with her to have sex.’ They were seen kissing and holding hands on CCTV.

After returning to her room they undressed and got into bed together.

Mr Storey told the jury: ‘Her initial recollection was that at the end of the night he dragged her out of the bar. It may be she was pretty happy to leave with him.’

But she changed her mind once in bed. ‘She began to sober up and realised what was happening and what was likely to happen and decided she didn’t want the thing to go further,’ the prosecutor said.

However, he held her down and carried on, the court heard. Tappenden then went to the bathroom to be sick and she left the room in a T-shirt to rouse other students.

A female flatmate said her friend told her: ‘It just got a bit weird and she was not into it. It was a little bit rough and she decided she wanted it to stop.’

She did not mention being held down and raped. But the court heard she did suffer bruising.

Giving evidence yesterday, Tappenden said they had sex in different positions but the alcohol affected his performance. He went to the bathroom and was sick.

He said his recollection was hazy and he didn’t recall flatmates or security coming to the room.

Tappenden said his girlfriend threw him out the next day. Describing his reaction when told he was under suspicion of rape, he said: ‘I was totally shocked. I broke down in tears. I just couldn’t understand what was happening.’

The defendant graduated four months earlier and was working as a barman at the time. He has no previous convictions.

The case continues.