Cricketer still best friends with ex-teammate accused of rape
A CRICKETER whose former teammate allegedly raped a sleeping woman has told jurors at his trial that the accused is still his best friend.
England Lions and former Worcestershire CCC batsman Joe Clarke told a court he had consensual sex with the woman before leaving her in a bedroom to be sick in a bathroom, where he fell asleep.
Mr Clarke, who was arrested but not charged with any offence, told Worcester Crown Court the next thing he remembered was the woman waking him and claiming she had been raped by his friend Alex Hepburn.
Hepburn, an all-rounder with Worcestershire, denies rape, claiming the woman opened her eyes and kissed him at the start of a 20-minute sexual encounter.
The woman, who cannot be identified, broke down in the witness box on Tuesday after being
Said he had consensual sex with woman before falling asleep in bathroom.
cross-examined about details of the alleged attack.
Giving evidence yesterday, Mr Clarke, who now plays for Nottinghamshire, claimed the woman contacted him about four months after the incident and told him she wanted to drop the case.
Recalling the night of the alleged rape in April 2017, Mr Clarke told a jury of eight women and four men that he left a bedroom to be sick after drinking Guinness, vodka and other spirits during a night out.
“I didn’t want to be sick in front of her so I went to the bathroom,” the 22-year-old told the court.
Mr Clarke said the next thing he was aware of was the woman waking him up and saying: “Your housemate has just slept with me. Alex has raped me.”
Asked by prosecutor Miranda Moore QC what his reaction had been, Mr Clarke added: “I was very shocked. I put my head in my hands and just questioned it.
“It was a massive shock. I just kept saying ‘What?’ She shook me and woke me and just said ‘Alex has raped me’.”
The defence case is due to start today. Hepburn, 23, of Portland Street, Worcester, has pleaded not guilty to two counts of rape.