Loughborough Man Found Guilty Of Rape Despite "Sexsomnia" Claims

8 August 2018, 15:24 | Updated: 8 August 2018, 15:26

A man from Loughborough - who claimed he was fast asleep when he had sex with a woman - has been found guilty of rape.

24-year-old Karl Gammon from Albert Street denied the charge - telling Leicester Crown Court he suffered from “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 the rare sleeping disorder.

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 31 August.

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 today’s guilty verdict will go some way to providing closure for her.”