A MAN accused of raping a woman while she was asleep took the stand to deny the allegations and insisted the pair had consensual sex.

Gary Wells, 34, of Burnham Road, Hullbridge, is accused of rape and another serious sexual offence.

Basildon Crown Court heard there is no dispute the pair had sex, but the alleged victim claims she was asleep and was raped whereas the defendant says she was awake and fully consented to it.

The jury had previously been told he raped the woman and performed a sex act on her after he went back to her home in August 2019 following a night out. He denies the charges.

Wells yesterday told the court he would never have had sex with the woman while she was asleep as he knew she would not consent to this.

He said: “I did not have sex with her while she was asleep and did not perform a sex act on her while she was asleep.

“I did not think I could do with her what I wanted, there is no truth in that at all.

“It’s not the case that she was asleep and it didn’t matter to me.

“I did not make this account up that she was awake.

“I did not rape and sexually assault her. [It] was consensual and [she was] fully willing to the sex and sex act.”

He added: “At no point during the evening did she say anything which made me believe she would consent to me having sex with her or performing a sex act on her while she was asleep so I wouldn’t have done that as I knew she would not have consented to it.”

Earlier in the trial, the jury heard Wells had consensual sex with another woman in the home earlier that night.

In the interview, the victim told police she had been out with friends in Rayleigh and met the defendant at a takeaway in the High Street.

Mr Wells added: “I was attracted to her and was happy talking to her and enjoyed her company.

“I was flirting with her and nothing happened for me to think she was not interested.

“We kissed in the back of a cab and I touched her a few times and she responded and was giving me positive signals.”

The trial continues.