Woman only ‘found out she was raped’ after discovering video on her mobile

A woman was left devastated after discovering an explicit video of herself on her mobile which she did not remember, a court has heard.

Father-of-three Thomas Nicholls, 25, is accused of raping the woman, who said she could not remember having sex with him because she was so drunk.

The alleged victim, whose identity has been protected, woke up in her own bed with Nicholls on the morning of August 11, 2018.

A court heard how the woman later received a text from Nicholls telling her to look at her phone and was ‘sickened’ by what she found.

Nicholls had grabbed her mobile to film himself on top of her while she was semi-conscious, it was heard.

The public gallery at Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court was cleared while jurors viewed the five-minute explicit footage.

Carina Hughes, prosecuting, said: ‘It shows her in various states of undress and there are graphic images of her genitalia.

‘When she saw the video it was apparent to her that she had not consented.

‘Despite its very sensitive nature, she gave it to the police.’

Nicholls, of Hay-on-Wye, Powys, denies four charges of rape.

The court heard how the incident occurred after the woman had been on a night out with friends in Brecon, South Wales, and had to be helped home after ‘reacting badly to alcohol’.

There, Nicholls climbed through her bedroom window in the early hours to find her drifting between being semi-conscious and unconscious, the jury was told.

‘She woke up the next day to find the defendant in bed with her,’ added Ms Hughes.

‘He said they’d had sexual intercourse – that’s not something she could remember.

‘Nicholls later messaged her saying: “Check your phone.”

‘She saw a five-minute video of him having sex with her.’

The woman sobbed during a police interview saying she had no recollection of telling Nicholls she wanted to have sex with him.

Nicholls claims it was the woman’s idea to film their sexual encounter, which he says she consented to.

The trial continues.