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College student accused of pinning down man and forcing him to have sex is cleared

Imogen Brooke has said she was 'not superwoman' and would have been unable to force the man to act against his will.
Imogen Brooke has said she was 'not superwoman' and would have been unable to force the man to act against his will. (Solent)

A college student accused of pinning a man down and having sex with him against his will has been cleared after saying she was too "lazy" and "can't multitask".

Imogen Brooke, who turned 31 on the day of her verdict, burst into tears after jurors took just one hour to find her not guilty of causing a person to engage in sexual activity.

During a four-day trial, Southampton Crown Court heard that Brooke, who weighed 24 stone at the time, was accused of pinning her alleged victim down after the pair had gone to her flat in Southampton.

She said they had kissed and she had given him a love bite, but the man fell asleep while she was checking on some food.

She told the court she would not have gone on top during sex because she was conscious of her weight, saying: "I'm not comfortable with my body, because I'm bigger than most people.

"I'm a big girl and I'm not confident of my weight, or any part of my body.

"I weigh 22st now but at the time I weighed 24st. For me to be on top, I have to get on, balance to the side and lift up my belly and put in the penis - but I would [normally] ask them to. But I can't, I don't like my body."

She said would not have been able to give him a lovebite as well as carrying out the alleged assault, because: "I can't multitask".

Asked whether she had tugged at the man's arm to get him to lie on his back in the lead up to the alleged assault, she replied: "No - I'm not Superwoman."

When asked if it was true she had been on top for the alleged period of 15 minutes, Brooke said: "No, I wouldn't.

"No, 15 minutes on top, I wouldn't - I'm very lazy. I had no sex on top for any duration."

Audrey Archer, defending, said: "If a man is going to to accuse a woman of forcing him to have sex, is he going to suggest [a position] whereby he was behind her?

"Is he going to suggest one where he is on top of her? That isn't going to add up or make sense with an allegation of forced sex.

"The only position a man could suggest a woman was in if he was going to suggest he has been forced to have sex with her is one whereby she would have had to be on top of him."

Judge Brian Forster QC said to the jury: "I promised you an interesting trial - I hope it has been just that."