The jury returned a majority verdict and Niall McPaul, pictured outside court earlier in the case, was bear-hugged by his family as he stepped out of the dock at Oxford Crown Court today

A former Oxford University medical student hugged his family after he was cleared of raping a woman who was 'eight or nine out of 10 drunk' and passed out at a party.

Niall McPaul who had been on trial for allegedly raping another Oxford student while she was asleep after drinking a bottle and a half of wine at a college party, smiled broadly as the jury delivered its majority verdict clearing him of rape which he had strenuously denied.

The woman claimed she had told Mr McPaul, who was then aged 24 years, to stop when she realised he was raping her and he had then said: 'Oh no, this is really awkward.'

At Oxford Crown Court today, the jury of five women and seven men returned after seven hours and 27 minutes deliberation to find Mr McPaul not guilty of rape.

His family sobbed in relief from the public gallery and the shocked 27-year-old, wearing a striped shirt, was embraced by members of his emotional family and friends, all keen for hugs of congratulation.

Mr McPaul had first met the woman, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, through friends at a party which students at the University of Oxford had thrown, the court heard.

The pair stayed up all night to watch events unfold online during the US election on November 8 2016, when Donald Trump beat Hillary Clinton in a shock upset.

Although she had later told friends she thought he was 'attractive', the jury heard she had decided he was 'off-limits' under the terms of her open relationship with her boyfriend.

The jury returned a majority verdict and Niall McPaul was bear-hugged by his family as he stepped out of the dock at Oxford Crown Court today (pictured)

Despite this, she told police how the two had met at another party in February 2017 when they had kissed and exchanged some messages over Facebook messenger, after Mr McPaul had left to go home, the court heard.

On the morning of the alleged rape - April 22 2017 - the complainant had allowed Mr McPaul to stay over from the previous evening and they had shared a bed in which they had cuddled.

Mr McPaul, a keen charity volunteer, had worked for the Sexpression charity, where he taught children as young as 12 years about healthy relationships and consent in sexual encounters.

The court heard he had said: 'I have taught about consent. I care about consent. It is something that I know, I have lots of friends who work in that area. This whole thing has sort of bothered me a lot.'

The jury was told that the alleged rape victim had posted on a Facebook group, naming Mr McPaul as her rapist to almost 3,000 members, most of whom were anonymous strangers she did not know.

In a post which began with the letters TW - meaning 'Trigger Warning' - the alleged victim had claimed that a man, who she initially named as a friend of a friend, had raped her and added: 'I find it terrifying that he is going to be a doctor. He thinks it is okay to have sex with someone who is drunk/asleep, without a condom as well!'

She added: 'I have spoken to two of my housemates and he is officially disinvited from future parties. He did not seem to think it was that bad at all. I am honestly not that upset but feel like I should be.'

As the trial continued, Eleanor Laws QC, counsel representing Mr McPaul, addressed the alleged victim as she sat behind a screen to give evidence.

She said: 'Are you somebody who has, in the past, craved attention? Do you recall telling a counsellor in the past that you wanted to have an accident, but not a big one, one just big enough to be hospitalised and looked after by others?' The woman confirmed she had told a counsellor that.

The defence lawyer took the court through the events of a few days after the alleged rape in 2017 when the alleged victim had gone with the Dean of the university, who she had described as 'bae' in texts to friends afterwards, to a police station to make a complaint about Mr McPaul.

Ms Laws alleged the victim had contacted one of her friends and told her not to mention to police that her tights had been left in the kitchen, where she had been consensually kissing Mr McPaul, when she spoke to police 'because it might sound a bit frivolous.'

The lawyer also claimed that even before giving her video interview to police, the victim had been messaging friends over WhatsApp and Facebook messenger to tell them Mr McPaul was going to be arrested, giving the date and time.

It was also put to the woman she had sent a number of people a photograph depicting mugs with a number of medical students' faces on it, one of them being Mr McPaul.

The victim said she did not think it was funny and then interrupted the defence counsel to address Judge Maria Lamb directly. She said: 'I am sorry I have just really had enough. Honestly I feel like you can say whatever you want want but I just do not want to be here anymore.'

Today, the tension was clear as the jury - which was given a majority direction - returned to the courtroom to give their verdict. Judge Lamb thanked them for their time, adding: 'These cases are never easy. I want to say thank you on behalf of the court for the part you have played in the criminal justice system.'

Mr McPaul, of Oxford, was acquitted of one count of rape and left the court without making any comment.

Asked for his reaction to being cleared, he said it was too early to speak.