AN ALLEGED rapist told a woman he had “sexomnia” after she woke up to him having sex with her, a court heard.

Jason Schuler is alleged to have raped the woman on Canvey back in 2011, and is standing trial at Basildon Crown Court.

The 45-year-old of Park Gardens, Hockley, denies two counts of rape.

The jury heard that the victim had gone to sleep but woken up to find Schuler having sex with her without her consent.

Schuler then allegedly said the day after that he had been experiencing “sexomnia” - a sleep disorder where a person acts out sexually while sleeping.

Prosecuting, Nicola May told a jury of nine men and three women that the woman was left shocked by the incident.

She said: “On two occasions in 2011 she work to find the defendant kissing her really hard and he was on top of her.

“She couldn’t have consented to it as he started it when she was asleep, and someone who is asleep can’t consent to sexual intercourse.

“She pushed him off and stated ‘what do you think you were doing’.

“In her view, when she woke up with him on top of her he had taken that opportunity to take advantage of her when she was asleep.

“Speaking to him in the morning about what happened, the defendant claimed he had ‘sexomnia’ which basically means having sex when someone is asleep.”

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Ms May said the woman had been interviewed by police about the alleged incident in 2013.

However, Schuler was not arrested by police until 2019 as he emigrated to South Africa.

Ms May said he was detained after flying into Southend.

Ms May told the jury that when questioned by police, Schuler said all sexual contact was consensual.

She added: “In her words, he seemed p***** off when she told him to get off, which gave the indication that he was not asleep.”

The trial continues.