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		</div><p>A cricketer has been found guilty of raping a sleeping woman during the first night of a sexual conquest competition he helped set up on a WhatsApp group.</p>
<p>Alex Hepburn, 23, was warned a jail sentence is inevitable for the attack on the the dozing victim – committed just days after he set the rules of the contest to have sex with as many new partners as possible.</p>
<p>A jury found the former Worcestershire CCC all-rounder guilty of oral rape but cleared him of a further count of rape relating to the same victim.</p>
<figure id="attachment_130040" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-130040" style="width: 480px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://londonglossy.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/28E55E81-2B65-4B3E-BC69-204BF98583DF.jpeg"><img class="size-full wp-image-130040" src="https://londonglossy.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/28E55E81-2B65-4B3E-BC69-204BF98583DF.jpeg" alt="" width="480" height="600" /></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-130040" class="wp-caption-text">Alex Hepburn was told a custodial sentence was ‘inevitable</figcaption></figure>
<p>A four-day trial at Worcester Crown Court heard the woman wrongly thought she was having sex with Hepburn’s then county team-mate Joe Clarke at the players’ flat in Portland Street, Worcester.</p>
<p>She told jurors she had earlier had consensual sex with England Lions batsman Mr Clarke following a night-out in April 2017.</p>
<p>Jurors were told Mr Clarke left his bedroom to be sick in a bathroom, where he passed out, leaving the woman asleep on a mattress in his room.</p>
<p>Hepburn told jurors he had drunk up to 20 bottles of beer before the woman rolled over in bed, kissed him, and instigated what he reasonably believed was consensual sex.</p>
<blockquote><p>There is only one sentence that can properly be handed down in this case, and a custodial sentence is inevitable</p></blockquote>
<p>The complainant, who cannot be identified, said she had her eyes closed and engaged in 20 minutes of sexual activity with Australian-born Hepburn in a dimly-lit bedroom — before “clocking” who he was when he spoke.</p>
<p>After the unanimous guilty verdict was returned following around 11 hours of dleiberations, Hepburn sighed and then slumped into his seat, covered his face with his hands and sobbed.</p>
<p>Jurors returned to court a few minutes later and cleared Hepburn of a second count of rape.</p>
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<div id="google_ads_iframe_/2695176/Breaking_News/ROS_InContent_0__container__">During his evidence on Wednesday this week, Hepburn admitted he sent “disgusting, horrible and embarrassing” WhatsApp messages while setting the rules of the sexual conquest competition.</div>
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<p>Bailing Hepburn following the verdicts, Judge Jim Tindal told the cricketer, who was aged 21 at the time of the rape: “You have been convicted and now fall to be sentenced.</p>
<p>“I am adjourning your case for the preparation of a pre-sentence report. But it would not be a kindness to you to leave you under any false impression as to the purpose of that report.</p>
<p>“There is only one sentence that can properly be handed down in this case, and a custodial sentence is inevitable.</p>
<p>“You need to prepare yourself and get matters in order and attend Hereford Crown Court on the 30th of April.”</p>
<p>The judge also said that his provisional view was that verdicts indicated that Hepburn’s belief in the woman’s consent had been unreasonable.</p>
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