Jailed Australian cricketer Alex Hepburn loses appeal against rape conviction

Australian-born ex-Worcestershire player Alex Hepburn was convicted for sexually assaulting a sleeping woman in April last year. The 24-year-old was jailed for five years last April for assaulting a ‘dozing’ woman during a ‘conquest’ game he helped set up on WhatsApp.

Hepburn had challenged the conviction earlier this month. However, to add to his woes, he has lost his appeal to overturn the conviction. In a judgment handed down on Tuesday, three senior judges, including the Lord Chief Justice Lord Burnett, dismissed the player’s appeal by saying that the conviction is not unsafe.

The details about Hepburn’s deeds came forward though his Whatsapp messages, which revealed a sexual conquest ‘game’ to the police. The Whatsapp messages suggested that the player had sex with 60 women during a previous ‘stat game’.

Hepburn had challenged the conviction at the Court of Appeal

The prosecution had claimed he was ‘fired up’ by the contest to sleep with the most women, before carrying out the rape at his flat in Portland Street. Hepburn had challenged the conviction at the Court of Appeal but that has found him no success.

London’s Appeal Court heard earlier this month that messages about a ‘sex game’ should not have been revealed at the rape trial. Hepburn’s lawyer said that nowhere in the messages was there any talk of sex against one’s will.

“I accept it would be different if there was talk of sex against will or trickery to gain a point, or taking a chance, but there’s nothing like that in the messages. They are too far removed as to be able to be to do with the facts of the alleged offence,” Emanuel told the judges.

When sentencing, Judge Jim Tindal, too was stern with his words because of the sexual conquest ‘game’. “It emerged in the trial you and Clarke had agreed a pathetic, sexist game to collect as many sexual encounters as possible.

“You probably thought it was laddish behaviour at the time. In truth, it was foul sexism. It demeaned women and trivialised rape – a word you personally threw around lightly. Only now do you realise how serious rape is,” he had said.