by Paul Hooper

A 21-year-old woman has told a jury how she fell asleep after making love to one man and awoke with a stranger raping her.

Her lover had felt ill after their early morning sex – and had left the house without waking her.

It was then that Michael Hitchin aged 20 of Green Fields Lane, Great Chart stripped off and climbed into the bed.

The victim said: “He was like kissing me, and like having sex with me and I was saying: ‘Get off of me’ I was half-asleep.

“He had all his clothes off. He was having sex with me without me being aware of it. He was forcing me to have sex.”

Prosecutor Patricia May had told Canterbury Crown Court that at first the girl thought the man kissing and cuddling her was her lover – so she responded.

But then when she realised it was someone else – she was horrified and screamed for him to stop.

Judge Michael O’Sullivan told him: “This was a very serious offence and you must expect a substantial custodial sentence.”

The victim had told the jury in the rape case: “I was crying. I was really upset. He just forced himself to have sex with me when I was asleep.

“I was half asleep, I was conscious. It was because I was in bed he just thought: ‘Why not have sex with her?’

“He was having sex with me that woke me up. At first I thought it was (the lover) but he is much bigger man than him, more muscley (sic). I fell back to sleep then I looked again and realised it was Mickey.

"i was half asleep, i was conscious. it was because i was in bed he just thought: ‘why not have sex with her?’" – rape victim

“He said: ‘Well it’s my bed isn’t it?’ and I got up, got dressed and left. I didn’t know him other than he lives in Ashford. He was quite short, had dark hair and looks like a thug. He looks quite mean. “ she added.

Prosecutor Patricia May had told the jury how the victim had been out with friends at an Ashford pub in July last year before going to a nightclub in the town, where they met up with two men, including Hitchin who she didn’t know.

Later they went to Hitchin’s home for drinks where the victim and her lover had sex in Hitchin’s bed.

“The two had consensual sexual intercourse and it was after that she fell very deeply asleep and wasn’t aware that her lover later left while she was asleep. She was clearly very drunk at that time too.

“The next she remembers was coming to and she at first thought that it was (her lover) kissing her. She then realised it wasn’t him and told him to get off.”

After leaving the house, the victim called her mother who alerted the police.
Hitchin, who denied the offence of rape, claimed he had climbed inside the bed and the girl had agreed to sex – but the jury rejected his account.

They took six hours and 35 minutes before finding Hitchin guilty – it was the revealed that in February 2011 he received a caution for exposing himself.

He was ordered to sign the Official Sex Register and was remanded in custody until July when he will be sentenced.