CHED EVANS RAPE RETRIAL: Woman asked Spireites striker for rough sex, court hears

The barrister representing the Wales striker accused the woman of “taking the lead” during consensual sexual intercourse.

The woman, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, denied the accusations and said she had no recollection of events in a hotel room at a Premier Inn hotel near Rhyl, North Wales in May 2011.

Evans, who plays for League One side Chesterfield, is on trial at Cardiff Crown Court accused of raping the woman.

The 27-year-old was previously found guilty of rape, but a jury has been told that the Court of Appeal quashed the conviction and ordered a retrial.

Jurors have previously been told that the complainant was too drunk to consent to sex with the footballer, who then left “surreptitiously” via a fire door afterwards.

#She had arrived at the hotel in a taxi with Clayton McDonald, a friend of Evans who was acquitted of rape in the first trial, and went to the room with him where they had consensual sexual intercourse. Evans joined them later and, prosecutors allege, raped the woman.

Judy Khan QC, defending Evans, asked the woman: “During sex with Clayton McDonald, Ched Evans walked in where you were having sex with Mr McDonald.

“Mr McDonald asked you, ‘Can my mate join in?’ and you said: ‘Yes’. Do you have any recollection of that?”

The woman, who gave evidence from behind a screen, replied: “No.”

Miss Khan suggested sex with her client was consensual and also said that despite “blacking out” in the hours before the alleged rape, CCTV showed she was not “incapable of moving or making decisions”.

Jurors were shown footage of the woman bending down to pick up a pizza box and told that she was “capable enough” to send a text message using correct spellings.

The defence QC said to the complainant about these two specific incidents: “I am going to say that you were clearly making rational decisions.” The woman replied: “I think so.”

Earlier, the jury watched a recorded interview the woman gave police shortly after the alleged rape, in which she recalled the night.

“I was in the bed on my own and I wasn’t dressed. I couldn’t really remember. I’ve tried to think what happened in between but I can’t remember anything,” she said. “I felt dead confused and did not know where I was. I did not know what to do or where I was. I started panicking.”

She also told police she had drunk two 250ml glasses of wine, four double vodka and lemonades and a shot of sambuca.

“I remember dancing, but then I can’t remember anything after that,” she told police. “I vaguely remember I had a pizza in my hand (at one stage) and the next thing I remember I woke up in the Premier Inn. Everything was dead blurred.”

She added: “I’ve drunk a lot more than that before and I didn’t black out before and not been able to remember things.

“I felt really shaken when I woke and I just felt drained and tired. I didn’t feel like this the night before, which is why I felt like I had been spiked.”

Toxicology tests showed there were traces of cannabis and cocaine in the woman’s body and she accepted she had used both drugs a “few weeks before” but had “not done them recently”.

The court also heard two men had made statements describing sexual relationships they had with the woman, in which they allege she also asked for rough sex.

The woman replied: “No, I disagree with that.”

Miss Khan suggested that with previous partners the woman had woken up the following morning and asked: “What happened last night?”

Simon Medland QC, prosecuting, asked the woman: “It has been suggested to you that you had consensual sex with Mr McDonald and you were happy for Ched Evans to join in, and you also took the lead. Is that right?” The woman replied: “No.”

The trial continues.