Alex Hepburn trial: Cricketer accused of raping woman after fellow player had sex with her 'is still my best friend', teammate says

'Your housemate has just slept with me. Alex has raped me'

A prominent cricketer whose former teammate Alex Hepburn ​is alleged to have raped a sleeping woman has told a court the man is still his best friend.

Joe Clarke, a former England Lions batsman, told Worcester Crown Court on Tuesday that he had consensual sex with the woman after a night out in April 2017.

Mr Clarke said that he later left the bedroom and went to be sick in a bathroom, after drinking vodka.

"I didn't want to be sick in front of her," the 22-year-old told the court.

He claimed to have fallen asleep in the bathroom, only to be woken by the woman, who claimed that she had been raped by Mr Hepburn.

"Your housemate has just slept with me. Alex has raped me," Mr Clarke recalled the woman saying to him.

The alleged victim, who cannot be identified, broke down in the witness box on Tuesday after being cross-examined about details of the alleged attack.

Mr Hepburn, an all-rounder who plays cricket for Worcestershire CCC, denies rape. He claims that the woman opened her eyes and kissed him during a consensual encounter.

"I was very shocked. I put my head in my hands and just questioned it," Mr Clarke said.

"It was a massive shock. I just kept saying 'What?' She shook me and woke me and just said 'Alex has raped me'."

He then asked his teammate about the woman's claims. Mr Hepburn "just said no and shook his head", Mr Clarke said.

The cricketer claimed that the woman had contacted him in August or September 2017.

"I told her I didn't want to speak to her," he said.

"She said that she didn't want any of this to happen, to which I said 'If you didn't want any of this to happen, it wouldn't still be going on'."

"She said 'I wanted to drop it but they won't let me'."

Jurors have already heard how both Mr Hepburn and Mr Clarke were involved in a game ranking their sexual conquests.

Both men are alleged to have set up a "stat chat" through WhatsApp to keep a record of the women they had sex with.

Mr Clarke was arrested after the alleged rape but was not charged with any offence.

The defence barrister described the "game" as "basically a contest as to who could sleep with the most women".

In her last question to Mr Clarke, defence counsel Michelle Heeley QC asked: "Is Alex still your best friend?"

Mr Clarke responded: "Yes."

Mr Hepburn has pleaded not guilty to two counts of rape.

The trial continues.

Additional reporting by agencies