'Sexsomnia' sufferer in Pembroke Dock cleared of rape
A man accused of raping a teenage girl has been cleared after successfully arguing he suffers from a condition which means he has sex whilst asleep.
Stephen Lee Davies, 43, of Pembroke Dock, claimed he was innocent because he suffered from sexsomnia.
He was accused of raping a 16-year-old girl staying at his home.
His wife and a former partner gave evidence at Swansea Crown Court on how they became used to being "groped" in the night while sleeping with him.
The jury took just over an hour to find him not guilty.
A sleep consultant gave evidence at the trial confirming that what Mr Davies said was probably true.
His wife, and a former partner, also gave evidence on how they became used to being "groped" in the night.
They said he would have sex with them in his sleep and remember nothing in the morning.
The court had heard the girl had gone to sleep on Mr Davies' bed in the early hours of 7 September 2009, because his room was cooler.
'Instinctive behaviour'
Mr Davies was already asleep in the bed and told the court he had no idea she was there.
The teenager told the court she had woken in the middle of the night to find Mr Davies having sex with her.
After his arrest he was asked if anything had happened and he replied: "Not that I know of".
Prosecutor Jim Davies said that it was "significant" that Mr Davies had gone downstairs after the incident and put the kettle on.
Dr Chris Idzikowski, head of Edinburgh Sleep School, gave expert evidence at the trial.
He said that sexsomnia was a sleep disorder which fell into the category of sleep walking - something that affects one in 25 people.
"It is an instinctive behaviour, they are not conscious at the time," he added.
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