A crown court jury has today cleared a Carlisle man who was accused of raping and sexually assaulting a woman.

Robert Woods, 47, who admitted having sex with the woman, consistently told police that everything that happened between them was consensual. When police arrested him, he told police officers: “It's a joke.”

He denied both rape and sexual assault of the same woman.

After hearing the evidence, the jury delivered unanimous not guilty verdicts on both allegations.

During Woods' trial at Carlisle Crown Court, the jury heard the woman claim that they kissed but then he became rough, refusing to stop when she asked him to.

After the sex, she had called a friend in a hysterical state, saying: "He has raped me, he has raped me', the jury was told.

But in his police interview, Woods said he had gone to see the woman after she sent him text messages, including one saying she was having trouble with an ex-boyfriend.

A police officer asked him.“Are you responsible for the rape of this female?”

Woods replied: “No.”

The officer then asked: “What can you tell us about this offence.” Woods replied: “There is no offence.” He was then asked for his side of the story.

Describing his meeting with the woman, Woods said: “We got on all right. Last night we were exchanging texts.”

He said he asked if he should go round to see her and because she agreed he took a taxi to where she was.

“We were at it within minutes,” he said.

“We were having sex straight off. It was the minute I got there.”

During an earlier meeting with the woman, said Woods, he and she were passionate together on a street corner, kissing and grabbing each other.

“There was even talk of going to a hotel room,” he said. During the questioning, Woods told the officers quizzing him: “She's a girl but she's not Snow White.”