Former Worcestershire all-rounder Alex Hepburn on Friday was found guilty of raping a sleeping woman by a court in Worcester.
The 23-year-old Hepburn, who was born in Western Australia and moved to England in 2013 to pursue a cricket career, also faces another count of rape. He will be sentenced at the Herford crown court on April 30.
Prosecutors say Hepburn began to rape the woman while she was asleep in his apartment. The woman, in her statement, said that she was with Hepburn’s roommate – Nottinghamshire batsman Joe Clarke – before waking up to find out that the former was straddling her, reported BBC. Clarke was in the bathroom when Hepburn had attacked the woman.
The jurors at the crown court discussed the case a for nearly 11 hours before announcing the verdict. Hepburn had earlier denied two counts of the rape on the attack that took place in his flat in Worcester in April 1, 2017.
During his trial, Hepburn admitted to have sent “disgusting, horrible and embarrassing” messages through WhatsApp to his teammates while entering a sexual contest competition with his teammates, reported The Guardian. Prosecutors also said that Hepburn had been “fired up” by his desire to win the competition.