Pretend that this didn’t happen
What University Challenge ‘rapist told his victim’
A UNIVERSITY Challenge contestant raped a fellow student after a drunken night out and told her ‘pretend this never happened’, a court heard yesterday.
Bartolomeo Cuthbert Joly de Lotbiniere, 21, was reported to police by his ‘victim’ more than a year later – after his appearance on the TV quiz show turned him into an internet sensation over his unusual name.
The history student kissed, undressed and forced himself on the 19-year-old undergraduate in her halls of residence bedroom after she declined his suggestion that they have sex, a jury heard.
Two days later he texted her to apologise, writing: ‘I was a disgrace. I did a very stupid thing and I’m very sorry for what I did.’
He apologised again in a second text sent the next term and suggested they ‘now move on as mutual friends’, York Crown Court was told.
But the woman could not get what happened out of her mind and publicity over his University Challenge appearance prompted her to go to police 14 months after the rape, the court heard.
She was ‘angry’ about tweets and social media comments about him and said: ‘I just wanted to do something about it.’
Joly de Lotbiniere and his alleged victim Name check: The student on the TV show were both first year students at York University. The incident happened in June 2014 on the last night before the summer holiday.
They were among a group of students who were all ‘tipsy or drunk’ when they returned to university at around 4am after a night out, the jury heard.
In her video-taped evidence to police, she said she was ‘surprised’ when he kissed her in the corridor outside her room as they chatted and she told him: ‘I don’t think we should do that.’ She also rejected him when he allegedly said: ‘We should have sex.’ But Joly de Lotbiniere, who was 19 at the time, followed her into the bedroom.
She said he kissed her again and told her: ‘We should have sex to help you get over you ex.’ He then began to undress her. ‘Once he had taken off my top I froze,’ she said.
The defendant also removed her bra before picking her up in his arms and putting her on the bed.
He then removed her trousers before sexually assaulting her and raping her, it was alleged. The woman said she ‘tried to push him off’ with both hands.
After that Joly de Lotbiniere stopped, got up and ‘started to act as if he was extremely drunk.’ Prosecutor Gerald Hendron said that before leaving the defendant told her: ‘Pretend this never happened and tell no one about this.’
Two days later the woman texted him, writing: ‘I thought I’d let you know I was not overly comfortable with what happened on Thursday night.’ Joly de Lotbiniere replied: ‘Neither am I. I was a disgrace.
‘I did a very stupid thing and I’m very sorry for what I did. I just hope you can forgive me at some point and I will try my best not to act like a bloody 14-year-old again and start acting my age, sorry.’
In October they saw each other at a house party and the defendant then sent her another text.
He wrote: ‘I want you to know I’m very sorry for what I did and that there’s no enmity between us and we can now move on as mutual friends.’
The defendant was arrested a few weeks after she reported the rape to police in August 2015. He told police sex was consensual and explained his apologetic text message by saying he was ‘ashamed’ of his inadequate sexual performance.
Joly de Lotbiniere, of Kensal Rise, northwest London, denies rape and sexual assault. The case continues.