Guy Rapes an unmarried distressed woman in Derby

Derby man accused of rape allegedly 'took advantage of damsel in distress'

By Martin Naylor

The 29-year-old is alleged to have carried out the sex attack at a house in Alvaston

A 29-year-old man “took advantage of a damsel in distress” and raped her in her Derby home, a court has been told.

The alleged victim said she woke up on her sofa to find Adam Rowe sexually assaulting her after she invited him to stay over as he had “missed the last bus and did not have enough money for a taxi”.
Derby Crown Court was told that Rowe had met the woman with her friend in a Subway takeaway in Derby city centre after a night out and the three of them caught a cab to her Alvaston home.

Adam Rowe denies raping the woman in Alvaston (Image: Victoria Wilcox)

She told the court she fell asleep on her sofa while her friend, who was also staying over, “went to take her make up off”.
She said that, when she woke up lying on the sofa, Rowe was naked and then he raped her.
Rowe, 29, of Loscoe Denby Lane, Denby Village, denies the charge.
Jonathan Dee, prosecuting, said the rape allegedly took place at a property in Alvaston in the early hours of June 5, 2016.
He said Rowe and the woman had seen each other twice earlier that evening, once in a bar and again in the Subway takeaway in Derby at the end of the evening.

Mr Dee said: “The crown say he took advantage of a damsel in distress. The defendant, the woman and a friend of the woman’s went back to the property.
“The crown say he wanted more than a bed for the night. She [the alleged victim] fell asleep fully clothed and, when she woke up at 5am, it was clear something had happened.
“She told him to get off her and he tried to tell her repeatedly that nothing had happened.

Adam Rowe was allowed to stay over at the woman's house because he had 'missed his last bus' (Image: Victoria Wilcox)

“The crown say he did that so she would believe nothing had happened. She was distressed, she went out and left him there."
Once Rowe had left the property, she reported it to the police and he was arrested, the court was told.
Mr Dee said that, in an interview with police, Rowe said he was “not sure if any sexual activity had taken place”.
He said: “The crown say he was not telling the truth when he said nothing had happened.

“The reason he was lying is that he knew he should not have done it.
“The issue here is consent and the real core to the case is that, when he did that, was she asleep? Because, if she was asleep, she did not consent.”
The alleged victim told the jury she did not make up her story after being challenged that she consented to having sex and felt guilty as she had a boyfriend.
The woman, whose identity is protected by law, said she woke up on her sofa in Alvaston after getting “10 out of 10 drunk” in Derby city centre.

The trial is being held at Derby Crown Court

She said, as she did so, Rowe, who she says was naked, started touching her before raping her shortly afterwards.
The alleged victim said the three of them were talking in her lounge and she fell asleep on the sofa in a “sitting up position” when her friend went to the bathroom to remove her make-up.
Defence barrister Mark Watson, in cross-examination, asked the woman: “Is this a case that you regret what happened that night?”

She replied: “No it’s not. I regret getting drunk and trusting someone I should not have.”
Mr Watson said: “What I suggest is that, although you were drunk, you knew what was going on, on that sofa.”
The woman replied: “I fell asleep siting up, I woke up and he was touching my thigh. He was naked.”
Mr Watson said: “I suggest to you that you were concerned your boyfriend would find out. I suggest to you that you let him touch you in that way.”

Adam Rowe is accused of raping the woman in her own home (Image: Victoria Wilcox)

She replied: “I was still drunk, it did not feel real, I was unsure what was happening. Nothing felt real, I did not move because I was so scared.”
The woman told the jury that, immediately after the alleged rape, Rowe told her “nothing has happened”.
She said: “I stood up scared and started crying, he kept saying to me ‘nothing happened, nothing really happened’.
“I tried to get away from him and he told me to calm down. He told me not to tell anyone because nothing happened.”
The rape is alleged to have happened in June 2016 and the woman said she sent a text message to a different friend to tell her what had taken place around three hours later before calling the police.
The trial continues.

                                           Published on: Derby Telegraph