Rape accused said he was sleepwalking at the time

The trial of a man who told gardaí he was sleepwalking at the time he allegedly raped a friend has heard the woman did not initially report it as she was hoping he would get help.

She said she was nervous about taking a case but later made a statement as she feared he would do it to someone else. The Central Criminal Court also heard the man’s mother said he had been looking up “sleep sex” online in the days after the alleged offence.

The man, aged 29, who cannot be named, has pleaded not guilty to one count of raping the woman on September 28, 2008.