University of Essex, Colchester Campus
Exterior view of the Colchester campus at the University of Essex WikiCommons

A student at Essex University has appeared in court accused of assaulting a fellow student with a sex toy while she slept. Richard Came, 21, denies having assaulted the woman, claiming that she consented to what happened.

The attack allegedly took place in 2014 when the woman slept in Came's bed after a night out. Prosecutor Brett Weaver told the court that when she woke up the next morning, Came had told her she had just fallen asleep.

Weaver said Came then told friend what he had done, some of whom told the woman. When she heard this, she messaged Came on Facebook to ask if it was true and he allegedly replied saying "Yeah, I am weird."

The woman decided not to report the crime immediately as she had been drunk and could not remember what had happened, but Came was arrested some months later. Weaver told the court: "Asked if he owned any such implements he produced a carrier bag with three of different sizes."

The assault is alleged to have taken place at the Wivenhoe campus of the university in 2014. The hearing at Chelmsford Crown Court is ongoing.