Student ‘quoted Trump’s “grab her by the p****” remark before rape’

A student repeated a vulgar remark by Donald Trump before sexually assaulting a fellow undergraduate, a court heard yesterday.

Hugo Penfold, 21, allegedly told the woman ‘in the words of Donald Trump “grab her by the p****”’ and then touched her intimately.

The US President was caught on tape using a similar phrase when describing how he had tried to seduce a married woman.

Penfold is also accused of raping the woman on another occasion and of carrying out the same offence on a second student.

At the opening of his trial yesterday the first alleged victim said she had repeatedly rejected Penfold’s advances after meeting him in September 2016 and had reported him to the authorities at Lincoln University.

The woman, who cannot be identified, said in a statement: ‘He has been sexually assaulting me, light touch, since November and probably before that. I would tell him that it was sexual assault and I would report him.’

She told the jury at Lincoln Crown Court that the incident where Penfold quoted Mr Trump took place around the time of the US presidential election in November 2016. ‘He touched me on the outside of my clothes. He found it funny. I said it wasn’t funny and asked him to leave.’

The student said Penfold raped her after she returned home from a boozy night out with friends in Lincoln city centre.

‘I felt drunk but not out-of-control drunk. I knew what I was doing,’ she said.

When Penfold arrived at her flat, he apologised for his previous behaviour and told her she was ‘amazing’, the court heard.

The woman said they were watching TV when she had to rebuff Penfold’s attempts to kiss her and touch her. But she said he then got on top of her, removed her underwear and raped her despite her pleading to him to stop.

She said: ‘He said “Do you want me to make this quick?” I nodded. It lasted less than five minutes.’

The woman said she told him to leave and later texted him: ‘You knew how drunk I was. You knew I said “No”.’ He messaged her saying he was sorry, the jury was told.

The US President was caught on tape using a similar phrase when describing how he had tried to seduce a married woman

Penfold of High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, is also accused of putting his hand down her leggings, touching her bottom while hugging her, and kissing her against her wishes.

He denies raping the student and three charges of sexually assaulting her between October 1, 2016 and March 3 last year. He denies the further charge of raping a second female student in November 2016.

Under cross-examination, the first student said that on the night when she says she was raped she made it clear she did not consent.

She said: ‘He did have sex with me. He was on top of me. I very clearly was not consenting. I got the impression that afterwards he realised what he had done. It wasn’t consensual.’

She said she had previously had a sexual encounter with Penfold. Sarah Phelan, prosecuting, said the second rape charge related to another female student.

At the opening of his trial yesterday the first alleged victim said she had repeatedly rejected Penfold’s advances after meeting him in September 2016 and had reported him to the authorities at Lincoln University (pictured)

‘She had been on a night out to Lincoln city centre with friends and Hugo Penfold,’ Miss Phelan said.

‘She came back to her flat. She was quite drunk.

‘Hugo Penfold asked if he could stay with her because he had some difficulties with his own flatmates.

‘She told him that was OK. She told him to sleep on top of the covers and she would sleep underneath the covers. He started to grab at her. She told him to stop it. He pulled her on top of him. She responded that she didn’t want it to happen.’

Miss Phelan said Penfold went on to rape the student, telling the jury: ‘She repeatedly told him to stop but he didn’t.’

Both students later went to the university’s wellbeing service and then contacted police.

Penfold told officers in interview that his sexual contact with both women was consensual.

The trial continues.