Rape accused ‘used Trump’s sexist slur before attack’
Trial told student repeated US president’s notorious comment before sexual assault on undergraduate
A STUDENT sexually assaulted a woman after quoting Donald Trump’s infamous “grab her by the p----” comment, a court has heard.
Hugo Penfold, 21, an undergraduate at the University of Lincoln, allegedly grabbed the fellow student’s crotch through her clothes after uttering the US president’s words, the court heard.
She told the court: “He found it funny. I said that it wasn’t funny and I asked him to leave.”
Mr Penfold is accused of later raping the woman after a night out, a trial at Lincoln Crown Court was told. He also faces a count of rape against another woman.
The first woman – who cannot be named for legal reasons – told a jury she was “very clearly not consenting” when he began to attempt sex with her.
Mr Penfold, of High Wycombe, Bucks, denies both rape charges and three charges of sexual assault. The first student, who was 18 at the time, told a jury that she had repeatedly rejected advances from Mr Penfold and at one stage even reported him to the university authorities.
The pair first met in September 2016. In a pre-recorded statement to police, she said: “He has been sexually assaulting me, light touch, since November [2016] and probably before that.
“I would tell him that it was sexual assault and I would report him.”
The student alleged she was raped by Mr Penfold after a night out with friends in Lincoln city centre.
She claimed the defendant had mes- saged her in the early hours of that night and she had agreed he could visit.
The pair were watching Netflix together when he allegedly told her to take off her jeans, claiming she would feel more comfortable – then tried to kiss and touch her.
Mr Penfold later climbed on top of her, removed her underwear and raped her as she pleaded for him to stop, the court heard. “He said, ‘Do you want me
‘I got the impression that afterwards he realised what he had done – it wasn’t consensual’
to make this quick?’. I nodded. It lasted less than five minutes,” she said.
She then ordered him to leave and sent a message saying: “You knew how drunk I was. You knew I said No.”
He replied that he was “really sorry”, the court heard.
Under cross-examination, the student was adamant the encounter was non-consensual, telling the court: “I very clearly was not consenting.
“I got the impression that afterwards he realised what he had done – it wasn’t consensual.”
The charges relate to different dates between Oct 1 2016 and March 3 2017. Mr Penfold is also accused of raping a second female student after a night out together.
Sarah Phelan, prosecuting, said: “Hugo Penfold asked if he could stay with her because he had some difficulties with his own flatmates. She told him that was OK.
“He started to grab at her. She told him to stop. He pulled her on top of him. She responded that she didn’t want it to happen.”
Miss Phelan said that Mr Penfold went on to rape her. “She was extremely distressed by what happened and asked him to leave.”
Mr Penfold said all sexual contact with the women was consensual and claimed that only afterwards did the women express any regret.
The trial continues.