Imogen Brooke: Woman accused of forcing man to have sex with her as he struggled under her weight
WARNING: This article contains details of incidents of sexual assault that some readers may find traumatic. Discretion is advised.
SOUTHAMPTON, UK: A 30-year-old woman has been accused of having sex with her online date without his consent. Imogen Brooke allegedly forced herself on the unidentified victim while being “very drunk” and the man couldn’t do anything to stop the alleged abuse because “she's quite a lot bigger and stronger than” him, Southampton Crown Court heard recently.
Prosecutor Robert Bryan told the court as reported by The Daily Mail, “She pulled him towards her and said 'well, you may be saying no, but your d*** is saying yes'. She climbed on top of him and pulled his boxer shorts down. He told the police investigators she is quite a lot bigger and stronger than him and he couldn't move her. He wanted it to stop. He thought saying no would be enough. Eventually it came to an end and she just turned over and went to sleep.”
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Though the college student has denied any wrongdoing, the court was told that it is a “misconception” that only women can be violated sexually. “Imogen Brooke caused [the complainant] to engage in the sexual activity... and he did not consent, and she did not reasonably believe him to be consenting. In the public image, a sexual offender is male and the victim of a sexual offence is female. That is a misconception. Misconceptions are exactly that - they are wrongly held views,” Bryan explained.
The prosecutor noted, “This court, in due course, may use a different word, that word being stereotype; a widely-held but fixed and oversimplified image or idea of a particular type of person or thing. In relation to sexual matters, that short skirt worn by a woman, is she fair game? Is it only a rape if the woman is covered in bruises? A male with an erect penis - that morning erection, does that happen because men are sexually aroused?”
He insisted, “Stereotypes have no place in criminal court. This case must be tried on criminal evidence and not on stereotypes. Physical arousal is wholly separate to consent. The two might run in tandem but might run on separate tracks. Just because you are physically aroused doesn't mean you want it.”
The jurors were informed that the alleged violence took place at Brooke’s house in Southampton, Hants after they connected online. Bryan said, “After some drinks they went up to bed, where what he wanted was to go to sleep. Miss Brooke wanted to have sex, and was pulling his arm, eventually pulling him onto his back. At the police interview, he accepted he had an erection, but he didn't want to have one. She was on top of him, riding him by leaning on his shoulders. It didn't finish by his ejaculation, but by him losing his erection and she gave up. She said she had felt horny and wanted to have sex. When she did what she did, he said he just gave up as she was not going to listen to him.”
Bryan also revealed Brooke refuted the charges because she’s “conscious of her weight” and apparently has no memory of what she did with her date. The prosecutor stated, “Consent appears in the charge but it may well be a red herring, because he is adamant that not only did she have sexual activity without his consent, but he is adamant that she was on top. Miss Brooke's case is that would not, could not and did not happen,” before adding, “With sexual positioning at the forefront of your minds, if he has made all this up - why would a man make an allegation that he knows would be implausible as the one position he knew that they would not use?”
The alleged victim’s statement to the police was also played in court. The statement was, “She was very drunk and saying she was in the mood. She was horny and wanted to [have sex] and I didn't and she kept tugging my arm. She's quite a lot bigger and stronger than me and I just couldn't do anything about it. I can't move her when she's on top because she's a lot heavier than me. She's about twice my body weight - so I can't move.”
“I wanted it to end. I just gave up because she wasn't going to listen to me. I said what I said but it was going in one ear and out the other. It felt like it went on for ages but probably no longer than 15 minutes. It felt like a really long time - never ending. I felt violated. I couldn't believe it happened. The following day she had no memory of what had happened. She noticed that I was distant with her but she didn't know why. She made me feel sorry that I had let it happen in that way. It felt like a punch in the face,” the man alleged.