Man accused of rape said he had ‘sexsomnia’

Jury find graduate guilty after eight day trial

A MAN who claimed he was fast asleep when he had sex with a woman after a night out has been found guilty of rape.

Karl Gammon, 24, from Albert Street, Loughborough, denied the charge, telling Leicester Crown Court that he suffered from a rare sleeping disorder known as “sexsomnia” or “sleep-related sexual behaviour.”

While he could remember parts of the evening, which he had spent drinking in Loughborough with the woman, and another female friend in March 2016, he told the court he had no recollection of assaulting her – once in the early hours, and again later that morning.

He accepted that DNA evidence proved he had had sex with the woman, but said he suffered from “sexsomnia” or “sleep-related sexual behaviour”, a form of non-insane automatism.

Following an eight-day trial the jury found Gammon guilty of rape and not guilty of one count of sexual assault. He will be sentenced on August 31.

Detective Sergeant Tom Brenton, who led the investigation, said: “Gammon preyed on his victim when she was in a vulnerable state and then claimed to have no knowledge of the rape when he was questioned by police.

“The victim has been living with the trauma of that night since the offence occurred more than two years ago and his refusal to accept what he has done caused her to relive the experience as she gave evidence against him.

“I hope this guilty verdict will go some way to providing closure for her.”