Worcester: An Australian cricketer has been found guilty of raping a sleeping woman in the UK during the first night of a sexual conquest competition he helped set up on a WhatsApp group.

Alex Hepburn, 23, has been warned a jail sentence is inevitable for the attack on the dozing victim – committed just days after he set the rules of the contest to have sex with as many new partners as possible.

Former county cricketer Alex Hepburn has been accused of raping a woman at a teammate’s flat.Credit:ninevms

A jury on Friday found the former Worcestershire county all-rounder guilty of oral rape following a night out in April 2017 but cleared him of a further count of rape relating to the same victim.

A four-day trial at Worcester Crown Court heard the woman wrongly thought she was having sex with Hepburn's then teammate Joe Clarke at the players' Worcester unit.

She told jurors she had earlier had consensual sex with England Lions batsman Clarke, who later passed out in the bathroom, leaving her asleep in the bedroom.

Australian cricketer Alex Hepburn arrives at court in January.Credit:PA

Hepburn told jurors he had drunk up to 20 bottles of beer before the woman instigated what he had believed was consensual sex.

The woman, who cannot be identified, said she had her eyes closed and engaged in 20 minutes of sexual activity with the Australian-born cricketer in a dimly lit bedroom before "clocking" who he was when he spoke.

Hepburn sighed and then slumped into his seat, covered his face with his hands and sobbed after the unanimous guilty verdict was returned.

During his evidence Hepburn admitted he sent "disgusting, horrible and embarrassing" WhatsApp messages while setting the rules of the sexual conquest competition.

The text messages, which suggested Hepburn had sex with 60 women during the sexual conquest "game", were not put before the jurors,

The inadmissable WhatsApp messages, which can now be reported, included one in which Hepburn described himself and teammate Joe Clarke as a "pair of tens" who "should be banging models".

In another message not heard by the jury Hepburn boasted: "Got to understand that Hepperdawg is a horny c— and without you keeping my head straight just goes and does rogue things".

Social media conversations which prosecutors claimed may have been "scores" from a previous sexual conquest competition were also kept from the jury panel.

A message written by Hepburn said: "Oi last night was my 60th. Want 80 by the end of Worcs".

Clarke responded: "I reckon I'm about 75. I want 20 more this summer. Tough ask but reckon we have got it in us".

The messages – recovered by police from mobile phone records – also included a reference to a "Tinder bird" which dismissed her as "not great" but added "a stat's a stat hahaha".

Jurors did hear details of messages sent by Hepburn in the week of the night out which landed him in court – in which he apparently referred to threesomes involving Clarke.

"Clarkey you only won last year because the hepperdawg let ya have three balls with him," Hepburn wrote. "Always been me dragging the birds back. You raping them."

That exchange was explained in court by Hepburn as being "light" use of the word rape, used jokingly in an attempt to get under Clarke's skin.

In another admissible message posted a day before the evening when the rape was alleged to have taken place, Hepburn told his friends "the hep is on" after posting a tick after the words brows, haircut and tan.

The rules of the sexual conquest "game" posted online by Hepburn stipulated that it would end with a "shaggers week".

"Every freshie has to be put into the chat with this detail (name, age, black or white, rate out of 10, yor (sic) performance out of 10, condom or no) End of the shaggers week is the September the 15th," Hepburn wrote in a post described in pre-trial legal argument as repellent and pathetic.

The rules, posted by Hepburn four days before the night out which ended in his arrest, said the weekend following the end of the contest had been earmarked for "punishments", with the last-placed competitor buying dinner at a restaurant.

Worcestershire County Cricket Club chairman Fanos Hira said the club was appalled by the details reported in the case and had taken decisive action immediately after they learned of Hepburn's arrest.

"Our One Club values outline clear expectations of attitudes and behaviours for all staff at WCCC and everyone involved in Worcestershire cricket," Hira said in a statement.

Police Detective Chief Inspector Ian Wall said Hepburn had been in a position of trust and power and the victim had shown great courage and strength in coming forward.

"I hope this conviction will provide reassurance to other victims of sexual offences, giving them the confidence that they will be believed … and that we will do everything to bring offenders to justice," he said.

AP

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