Man accused of rape has history of ‘sexsomnia’

A psychiatrist who specialises in sleep disorders has told a rape trial that she believes the accused has a history of sleep walking, night terrors and “sexsomnia”.

The 29-year-old man claims he was sleepwalking when he raped his female friend after they went to bed together following a night out.

The man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, has pleaded not guilty at the Central Criminal Court to one count of raping the woman at an apartment in Dublin in the early hours of September 28, 2008.