'Sexsomnia' claim actor Simon Morris found guilty of rape
London, Dec. 18 (ANI)
Hollyoaks' actor Simon Morris, who claimed that he did not know that he was having sex with a 15-year-old girl as he suffered from the sleep disorder "sexsomnia," has been charged with rape.
The Cardiff Crown Court jury convicted Morris by a majority of 10-2, the BBC reported.
Morris, of south London, was told by the judge that he faced a substantial jail term when sentenced next year.
Morris was also found unanimously guilty of another sexual assault.
The prosecution said that the his claims of sexsomnia - a medical condition in which people engage in sex acts while still asleep - were "feeble excuses to escape the inevitable."
Morris claimed that during the trial he had undergone tests at a sleep clinic in Edinburgh to "try to understand" his condition.
The court heard that Morris had said that he did not remember having sex with the girl at the party in Newport, until police presented him with DNA evidence.
The jury was told that Morris had travelled from his home in Battersea to the party, where he met the girl and her father.
"Morris took an interest in the girl - winking at her, helping her pour drinks and even offering her to stay with him in London," Sue Ferrier, prosecuting, said.
"The girl got drunk on cocktails and her father put her to sleep in an upstairs room.
"The girl's father tried to wake his daughter at 6am to go home, but as she was fast asleep he left her in the bed for the night. By 6.30am the girl was crying rape," she said.
Judge Daniel Williams told Morris, "You have been convicted of two very serious offences and you are facing a substantial custodial sentence."