A MAN has been accused of raping a student after going back to her student accommodation. 

The woman said she woke up to find Lucas Bennett having sex with her despite her telling him to stop repeatedly, a court heard.

Bennett, 26, denies raping the student and another charge of sexual assault.

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Gloucester Crown Court heard Bennett was a stranger to the woman, when they met at a party held in a Cheltenham pub in 2019.

Ian Fenny, prosecuting, said the woman's memory of events was hazy after friends noticed she had drunk more than normal and was inebriated.

He said: "During the evening, she talked to Mr Bennett and danced with him and may well have kissed him.

"He then persisted in trying to get her to return back to his accommodation, but she refused.

“In the end, Mr Bennett travelled with the woman and her friends on a night bus back to her student accommodation in Cheltenham.

“The woman has no memory of getting off the bus and going back to her room or that Mr Bennett was with her.

“Her first memory is when she is awoken up from her sleep to find Mr Bennett having sex with her.

"She recalls drifting in and out of consciousness, but when she comes around again, Mr Bennett is still having sex.

"She tells him to stop more than once, but he carries on."

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Mr Fenney said Bennett, formerly from Eastgate Street in Gloucester, but has recently moved to an undisclosed address in Worcester, then carried out another sexual offence.

He added: "The woman did not consent to either act performed by Mr Bennett."

The woman's friends alerted a security guard, who called the police after hearing noises from her room and knocking on the door.

He said: "She (the friend) was aware that she could hear somebody dressing and the woman sobbing loudly.

“The friend was immediately alert that something untoward had happened, and she asked who had upset her.

"When the woman indicated that it was Mr Bennett, the friend told him to leave."

The court heard Bennett was thrown out of the building despite angrily protesting he had a 20-minute walk home.

Mr Fenney said the friend questioned the woman, who explained he had not stopped having sex with her despite her pleading with him on several occasions.

Sarah Jenkins defending, told the jury that Bennett admits being with the woman on October 31, 2019, but is adamant that she had consented to have sex with him on that evening.

The trial which started yesterday (February 13), continues.