“Sleepwalking” man cleared of rape

07Aug07

A bizarre story in my local paper tells of the acquittal of an RAF Senior Aircraftman, who admitted to having sex with a 15-year-old girl, but who claimed he was sleepwalking. He had been drinking a bottle of vodka, then gone to sleep in a room full of others. The girl awoke to find him on top of her. The jury acquitted him. It seems wrong that this man should simply have been cleared of all charges – what if he goes on to rape another woman while sleepwalking? I hope that at the very least he stays away from alcohol in the future.

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