West Oxfordshire man found guilty of raping woman he met in pub

Joseph Faulkner, 39, accepted having been intimate with his victim but denied having sex with her, telling the jury that he had been unable to get an erection due to the alcohol he consumed earlier that evening.

But a jury at Oxford Crown Court rejected his explanations, finding him guilty by a majority of rape and sexual assault on Wednesday (May 17).

Faulkner, of Park Close, North Leigh, was remanded in custody by Judge Maria Lamb and will be sentenced on June 28.

READ MORE: Rape accused breaks down as he gives evidence to jury

The pair had met during a night at the Woodman pub in North Leigh on a night in March 2019. Faulkner was said to have returned with the victim to a property, where he made advances towards her.

She pretended to be asleep, even feigning snores in an effort to put Faulkner off, the jury was told.

It did not work, with the defendant going on to rape her.

Prosecutor Matthew Walsh said the woman ‘eventually told him to stop and pushed him off’. 

He remained at the flat the following morning, the court was told, when he was said to have been ‘trying to cuddle her, talking about spending the day with her’. 

Click here to sign up to the Crime and Court newsletter (Image: Newsquest)