Guilty: pub barman convicted of raping woman
A PUB barman has been convicted of rape.
Stephen Rye has been remanded in custody to await sentence after jurors found him guilty, by a majority verdict of 11 to one, of the offence.
The 58-year-old, who was living at Rudland Close in Thatcham, was convicted after two previous trials collapsed, once for legal reasons and once for health reasons which were the fault of neither party.
Reading Crown Court heard that Rye had been working as a member of bar staff at village pub The White Hart around the time of the alleged offence.
Edward Lucas, prosecuting, said Rye, who is married but separated, had known the complainant and enjoyed normal, consensual sex with her on the night in question.
But he violated her by committing a penetrative sex act, ignoring her repeated objection, the court heard.
Giving evidence, the complainant – who can not be identified – told jurors that Rye had been drinking before he came to her home and they went to bed together.
They engaged in consensual sexual contact but then, she said: “I said no, not there.
“He carried on trying.”
Rye would not take ‘no’ for an answer, the court was told and, when the woman put her hand over her bottom, she said he grabbed it and shoved it out of the way.
He then raped her, the prosecution allege.
The woman insisted: “I said no; I was crying.
“I said: ‘Do you realise what you have just done?’
“He got out of bed and stormed off…and said I was just like everybody else – I don’t know what he meant by that.
“I was feeling sick; I couldn’t believe what had just happened – it was out of the blue.”
Later on Rye apologised, she said, and they went on to have vaginal intercourse.
The woman said she had not wanted that either but was “too scared to say no because of what had just happened.”
She told the jury: “I felt sick to my stomach; I didn’t know if anyone would believe me.”
It was months later, after telling her family what had allegedly happened, that she went to police and Rye was arrested.
Rye denied one count of rape.
Taking the witness stand on Thursday, November 20, he told jurors a very different account.
He said the rape allegation, when it was put to him came as “a surprise – a big shock.”
Mr Rye said he and the woman had engaged in foreplay and, when she objected to what he was trying to do, he immediately withdrew.
He moved her hand away gently; they went on to enjoy consensual vaginal sex, “cuddled, then went to sleep,” he said.
However he accepted that, in phone messages exchanged between himself and the woman she had told him: “I said no three times, not just once…you need to admit to me it was rape.”
He had replied: “I went too far; it’s not classed as rape, though I can see what you’re saying.”
Following the verdict, Judge Kirsty Real ordered pre-sentence reports.
She meanwhile denied Rye bail and remanded him in custody.
He is due to be sentenced next February.