by Keith Hunt

A man has been cleared of raping a teenager as she slept at his Dartford home.

The 18-year-old claimed she awoke to find Jordan Websdale, 26, having sex with her.

But he denied rape, claiming there was no sexual contact between them at all.

Maidstone Crown Court heard the woman went to bed in the room at his home in James Road after a party in May last year.

Prosecutor Simon Stirling said the woman thought the bedroom was unoccupied but Mr Websdale came in as she dozed off to sleep fully-clothed and wrapped in a blanket.

She agreed that he would sleep under the duvet on the double bed while she remained on top. She then fell asleep.

“The next thing that happened was she woke up to discover the defendant having sex with her,” said Mr Stirling.

“Incredulously, she asked him what he was doing. He was naked and said: 'You must have been asleep then.’.”

The woman was shaking and crying. She texted a friend, but was unable to rouse her, said the prosecutor. Mr Websdale kept asking her what was wrong.

She later reported the incident to police.

"he asked if i was ok. i didn’t really say anything." – 'victim'

Mr Stirling said there was no scientific evidence to support her account or any evidence to disprove it.

When Mr Websdale was arrested three days later he denied having sex with the woman.

“He has maintained that throughout,” said the prosecutor.

The teenager claimed she went to sleep wearing a dress and underwear but claimed she woke up to find her knickers around her thighs and Mr Websdale having intercourse with her.

She said she asked him “What are you doing?” but he told her to go back to sleep.

“I didn’t want to go back to sleep after what he had done,” she said. “I was just staring at the window crying.

"He asked if I was OK. I didn’t really say anything.

“He stroked my hair. I moved away. He said: 'Do you think I am weird?’”

The teenager said she had never met Mr Websdale before. He eventually left the room and she did not see him again.

The jury returned a not guilty verdict.