Rape trial begins in Jersey's Royal Court

Monday 13 November 2017

The trial of a 45-year-old male accused of raping a 40-year-old woman started this morning in the Royal Court with the alleged victim giving evidence.

Peter John Brewer is pleading not guilty to one charge of rape, and says that the sexual intercourse was consensual.

In his opening speech, Crown Advocate Conrad Yates told the Court that Mr Brewer and the alleged victim had met previously - after not speaking for some time, the pair then got back in touch in 2016.

Later that year, the woman was at a party with friends, including Mr Brewer.

Advocate Yates said that she was heavily intoxicated, had smoked cannabis and taken Valium, adding that when she ended up in the same bed as Mr Brewer at around 04:00 the following morning, she was in a very vulnerable state. He continued: "She trusted him not to do anything. He took advantage of this trust and undressed her, then had sexual intercourse with her despite her refusal. She was too intoxicated to physically resist."

This morning, the woman appeared in Court to give evidence. She explained that the night before the alleged rape, she was quite upset after hearing of a friend's bereavement. She said she had drunk a lot, and fast, that evening and asked Mr Brewer to bring more wine because they were running out. Mr Brewer and her made their way to the bedroom at around 04:00 while two of their friends were still in the house. The woman explained she was so intoxicated that she fell face down on the bed, on top of the covers while Mr Brewer was under them.

While admitting that her memories of the night were mixed up, the woman said she remembered Mr Brewer trying to pull her jeans down and trying to turn her head towards him. She says that she told him to stop, saying "no" many times but he proceeded, allegedly saying "I am not stopping until I am finished."

After the alleged rape, the woman says she put her clothes back on, and went downstairs to see her friends who told her to go back to bed and that they would discuss the incident in the morning.

Mr Brewer allegedly left and sent a message to the woman saying, "Darling, hope you are ok. I hate to see you upset. Please let me know cause I'm really worried," to which she replied, "How many times does 'no' mean 'no'?"

The case, which is being heard by Royal Court Commissioner Julian Clyde-Smith, and a jury of nine women and three men, is expected to last until Friday.