Man ‘may have had sex with woman in his sleep’

A man who is alleged to have raped a female friend admitted to gardaí he may have had sex with her while he was sleeping.

“I’ve a sleepwalking history — yes it is a possible, I don’t remember what happened,” he told officers when asked if he had sex with the woman. “I think she thought we may have had sex, I don’t remember doing it ,” the now 29-year-old said. He said he was in a semi-conscious state and claimed he would never have unprotected sex. He has pleaded not guilty at the Central Criminal Court to one count of rape at an apartment in Dublin on September 28, 2008.

Anne Rowland, prosecuting, read the accused’s memo of interview with gardaí to the jury, in which he admitted his then girlfriend would often wake up to him grinding his crotch against her.

The man also told gardaí he was once sleeping with a number of friends side by side and he was told the following morning he had been trying to inappropriately touch another girl. He also admitted to once waking up and finding he had been kissing the complainant’s sister, while on another occasion he said he was also kissing a different girl in his sleep.

An investigating garda agreed with Anne-Marie Lawlor, defending, her client had no previous convictions.

The trial continues.