The second day of the trial of Dylan Sims, 20, of St Mary’s, Wantage, commenced at Oxford Crown Court yesterday with a cross-examination of a key witness.
Sims is facing charges, including three counts of rape and one count of assaulting a female by penetration, involving two women during 2021 and 2022. The first woman, involved in three of these counts, gave evidence before the court.
The jury reviewed messages exchanged between Sims and the woman through a social media platform on the day of their initial meeting in Wantage back in May 2021. A message from Sims sent at 1:12 am read, “Cheeky bitch, I mean if you were able to get out I would meet you now.” Following this exchange, the woman met Sims.
According to her testimony, Sims allegedly guided her down an alley beside a shop, where he is accused of penetrating her with his fingers and coercing her into having sex. The defence counsel, Kellie Enever, established through cross-examination that the kissing preceding the incident was consensual, arguing that the woman had control since she was on top of Sims. The witness refuted this, stating, “I did tell him, I made it clear that I didn’t want to. I do not remember feeling in control of the situation.”
After the encounter, which reportedly lasted “an hour tops,” Sims sent a message at 3:03 am saying, “Did you get back you p******?”. Despite the incident, the woman acknowledged continuing to see Sims for nearly a year, expressing fear due to Sims’ social circle and the potential impact on her reputation.
The defence suggested that any sexual activity between them was consensual. However, the woman recounted another occasion in a Wantage park where Sims allegedly inappropriately touched her for “about 10 minutes” despite her protests due to discomfort, stating, “I told him it hurt, and I told him that I wanted to stop.”
She reportedly ceased communication with Sims by sending a terminating message in April 2022. Later, she encountered another woman with similar experiences involving Sims, prompting them to collectively report their allegations to the police in August 2022. The first woman claimed she realized she had been raped a few months after her final interaction with Sims, preceding her meeting with the second woman and their joint decision to file reports.
The trial is ongoing.
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