AN NHS worker has been convicted of raping a woman in a flat near the hospital where he worked.
Simon Bragg, 28, was arrested after he sent his victim a text boasting about what he had done.
The 24-year-old complainant had forgotten the assault, which happened at staff accommodation at East Surrey Hospital, in November last year.
However, her memory came flooding back when Bragg, of Canada Court, Redhill, sent her text messages saying he had forced her to have intercourse with him, and apologising for it.
The two had consensual sex after returning to Bragg's flat from a night out drinking in Reigate, but he later forced the woman – who cannot be named for legal reasons – to have unprotected intercourse.
"When the woman realised that the defendant was having sex with her without a condom, she told him to get off," prosecutor Robin Sellers, told the court.
"She said 'no' up to 20 times."
But Bragg continued, and the woman then fell asleep.
"The next morning she had forgotten what happened," said Mr Sellers.
But later, when she had gone home, she received text messages from the defendant, whom she had known for a long time.
Mr Sellers said: "He clearly admitted that he had gone much further than he should have."
He said the defendant acknowledged that he had sex with her, even though she had been telling him "no".
"It dawned on her that he had taken advantage of her," he added. In the witness box, Bragg claimed text messages he sent after that night were a "game", and that his behaviour had been childish and "pretty stupid".
He denied forcing the woman to have sex against her will or having unprotected intercourse with her.
Asked by defence counsel Anu Mohindru why he had texted her otherwise, he said: "To see if she would report it as a rape.
"I didn't want her to report it, I just wondered where she would go with this."
He said she was into "dark satanical humour" and he wondered whether she would find it "amusing".
In an interview with police, the complainant said she was horrified when she realised what had happened. "I never thought he would have taken advantage of me like that," she said.
Bragg was found guilty by majority verdict after the jury spent five hours deliberating.
The case was adjourned for pre-sentence reports to be prepared. Bragg will be sentenced on February 1.
