Accused denies drunk rape claim

A chef accused of raping a woman who claims she was too drunk to consent to have sex has told a court he thought the sex was consensual.

Peter Bacon, 26, of Pilgrims Way, Canterbury, who denies the charge, told Winchester Crown Court she accused him of rape when she woke up the next day.

He is accused of raping the woman after a friend who was at her house invited him over for drinks in February 2008.

Earlier the woman told the jury: "I was too drunk to consent to anything."

The three of them drank about five bottles of wine over an evening before the friend left, leaving Mr Bacon and the woman alone, the court heard.

'Started kissing'

The jury was told that he told police officers: "I thought she gave me the come-on, the body and eye contact was there and she did not give me the brush-off."

In the police interview he said after they started kissing they went upstairs to her bedroom where she got into bed with her clothes on but did not stop him when he took them off her.

Mr Bacon said he had unprotected sex with the woman, in her 40s, who he had met twice before, but in the morning things changed.

He said: "I woke up and gently kissed her on the back of the neck. She asked, 'Did we have sex?'. I said, 'Yes' and she started shouting 'rape'."

He said he rang 999 to report the incident and went to the police station.

Earlier, the jury heard the woman could not remember Mr Bacon being at the house or having any sexual activity with him the night the rape is said to have happened.

She was twice the legal drink-drive limit according to blood samples.

The trial continues.