West Oxfordshire rape accused gives evidence to Oxford jury

Joseph Faulkner, 39, blamed the alcohol he had had earlier that evening for his below-belt difficulties when he gave evidence to jurors at Oxford Crown Court on Wednesday afternoon (May 10).

The North Leigh man is accused of the rape and sexual assault of a woman he met at The Woodman pub in March 2019. He denies the allegations.

Giving evidence from the witness box, Faulkner said he had gone back to a flat with the woman and two others with more drinks.

READ MORE: Dog owner warning as fatal pet disease spreads

He said the woman changed into pyjamas and came back to the living room, while the other two disappeared to a bedroom.

The defendant rolled a cigarette although they could not find a lighter, he said. “We’d had a good night. Not at any stage she was saying to me she had a boyfriend.”

He told jurors the pair had begun kissing each other. Asked whether anything was said between the two of them, he said: “No, no. We was giggling and laughing like you do when you’re merry and you’ve had a drink.”

No mention was made of her having a boyfriend, as she alleged, he said. “If that was the case I’ve got some respect and I wouldn’t have thought she was interested in me. I wouldn’t stand on somebody else’s toes like that because I’m not that way.”

He said they had become intimate, touching each other and kissing. Defending, Rónán McCann asked his client: “What are you thinking at this moment in time?” Faulkner replied: “My luck’s in.”

Click here to sign up to the Crime and Court newsletter (Image: Newsquest)

The woman expressed no signs of pain and had not been ‘snoring’, as had been suggested, he told the court.

He had been unable to get an erection that evening, he added, disputing the prosecution's charge that he had raped the woman.

They were cuddling on the sofa the following morning, Faulkner said. He claimed she had stroked his chest hair, commenting on ‘how soft’ it was.

He said: “We was talking about the evening before as if nothing had gone wrong or happened. We talked about the night before because it was a good night.”

Faulkner said he had left the property happy, having not long come out of a difficult break-up. “I felt alive again.”

On the way home, he said he had stopped at a shop to buy his mum a gift ahead of Mothering Sunday, which was the following day.

READ MORE: Prosecution opens case in West Oxfordshire rape trial

Faulkner, who appeared to be in tears at points when he gave evidence, was asked by his barrister: “Did you force yourself on [the complainant]?”

“No, I didn’t. I’m not an animal,” he replied.

Mr McCann, defending, asked: “Did you have penetrative sex with [her] on March 29?”

Faulkner replied: “No, I did not.”

The defendant, of Park Close, North Leigh, denies rape and sexual assault. The trial continues.