Manchester University student ‘raped by a close friend’

A university student has accused her friend of rape after an evening of drinking together led to her waking up on top of him.

The woman invited Joshua Lines, 23, to stay in her room at a halls of residence after the pair attended a party together and they fell asleep together while watching Lady and the Tramp, Manchester Crown Court heard.

Several hours later, the woman claimed she was woken up by the sound of a laptop falling off her bed and found herself on top of Lines with her pyjama bottoms pulled down while he was having sex with her.

She said as soon as she realised what was happening she got up and locked herself in her en-suite bathroom for several hours until Lines left.

Lines allegedly tried to speak to her and after getting no response, sent her a Facebook message, saying: ‘What’s happened’ to which she replied: ‘I don’t want anything to do with you.’

In a statement to police, the woman, who attended Manchester University, said: ‘I think my laptop fell on the floor and that is what woke me up, I was on the top of him and he was having sex with me. 

‘I woke up and I was in shock and I started crying, initially he froze. Josh came to the door and tried speaking to me and when I left the bathroom he had gone.

‘I went home on the Saturday and whilst I was at home I didn’t think about it but when I came back to Manchester it was hard. I mentioned it to a few people who said I had to do something. On the Thursday I woke up and thought I had to do something.’

Manchester Crown Court was told Lines and the woman had been friends but while he was attracted to her, she said she didn’t share his feelings. 

The incident occurred in November 2014 when former student Lines, from Wigan, visited the woman and they attended a house party together.

In her videoed statement, the woman, who denied being drunk, said: ‘I met Josh that evening about 9pm and went and had a few drinks and went to the house party about 11pm. 

The woman claimed she was woken up by the sound of a laptop falling off her bed and found herself on top of Lines with her pyjama bottoms pulled down while he was having sex with her

As soon as the woman realised what was happening, she said she got up and locked herself in her en-suite bathroom for several hours until Lines left

‘We stayed for about an hour and a half and then came home to my flat and watched a film and I fell asleep whilst the film was still on.

‘Before I met Josh I had a large bottle of beer and then had a pint of beer when I met him. We then went to another bar and Josh bought us a bottle of Prosecco which we shared half and half. I was a little bit drunk but okay, he told me he had drunk a bottle of wine before leaving.

‘We then went to a Morrisons supermarket and bought eight bottles of beer each and took these to the party. At the party I had one of the bottles but didn’t drink anymore. I remember everything that happened and I know I was not drunk.

‘When we got back we decided to watch a film. I went to the bathroom and got changed and Josh was already in the bed. I put the film on and I remember before falling asleep turned me to face him and cuddled me but that was nothing unusual. I assume we fell asleep like that.

‘But I woke up on top of him and he was having sex with me and I said: ‘I know what you have just done,’ and I went into the bath room and locked the door. Josh came to the door and said stuff to me but I couldn’t hear, he then left the flat.

‘He sent me a Facebook message saying: ‘What’s happened’ to which I replied: ‘I don’t want anything to do with you, go back to the house party, I’m sure someone will let you crash there.’

Manchester Crown Court was told Lines and the woman had been friends but while he was attracted to her, she said she didn’t share his feelings

Prosecuting, Justin Hayhoe said: ‘The complainant and the defendant had known each other for some time but their relationship was platonic.

‘She knew very early on that he was physically attracted to her but she didn’t share that and that was communicated to him and was respected. It appeared that the defendant had accepted that they would be no more than friends.

‘She trusted him, and at that time had no reason not to. She had gone to university in Manchester and she invited him to go to a party with her. He agreed and they met up that evening.

‘They returned home to her university residence and she had no feeling there would be anything towards happening. There was no problem letting her friend stay and she thought she would never have her hospitality abused in the manner that it was.

The incident occurred in November 2014 when former student Lines, from Wigan visited the woman and they attended a house party together

‘When she returned from the party she had changed into her pyjamas and didn’t see any problem with doing this and she was of the view that he was still wearing his jeans. They were cuddling which was something not uncommon and she fell asleep.

‘The two fall asleep and the next she wakes up with him raping her. She has no idea how it is she came to be in that position. She woke up initially confused and when she realised what was happening, began to cry.

‘Once she realised what was happening she moved away from him and went to the bathroom and tried to contact one of her friends – unsuccessfully. She stayed in that bathroom and did not move for a number of hours.

‘She thought about what had happened before making her complaint. She spoke to one of her friends and having thought about what happened she felt I was wholly inappropriate and reported it to the police.

‘The defendant was arrested by police and he suggests that they had gone to the party and she had been flirting and described her as quite drunk. 

‘He said they went back to her flat and she suggested that he should lay on the bed.

‘He said that he fell asleep and that when awoke she was on top of him. He has no idea whether they were having sex or not. 

‘He says when he woke up he felt sick and went outside and fell asleep outside. In his case he cannot say whether they had sexual intercourse or not.’

Lines denies raping the woman. The hearing at Manchester Crown Court continues

Under cross examination the woman was questioned how the manhandling of her body had not woken her up. 

She said: ‘At no point in the evening were we so drunk we were out of it or not aware of where we were.’

But defence lawyer Brian McKenna said: ‘You had both consumed more alcohol than you say. You and Joshua after a night out ended up in bed together and before you went to sleep there was an element of cuddling. 

‘In drink did things happen which you decided you didn’t want and then shouted rape?’

Lines denies rape. The hearing continues.