Woman 'terrorised' and raped by 'sexual bully' she met on Facebook, court told

Alexander Hutchinson-Bernard denies charges of rape and strangulation

A man has gone on trial accused of raping a woman he met on Facebook. Alexander Hutchinson-Bernard is accused of forcing the woman to have sex following their online introduction.

The defendant denies being responsible for any sexual assault and says he does not know the woman who has made the allegations and has never met her. Hutchinson-Bernard is on trial at Cardiff Crown Court.

Opening the case against the defendant, barrister Andrew Davies said it was the prosecution case that Hutchinson-Bernard and the alleged victim in the case - "a woman who has had some difficulties in the past" - met via Facebook in February 2023. He described the defendant as a "sexually bully" who "does not accept that no means no" and who uses his physical strength to force himself on a woman.

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The court heard it is the prosecution case the defendant subjected the woman to two separate sexual assaults. The prosecutor said the first incident involved the defendant putting the woman in a headlock and forcing her head down to perform oral sex on him against her will; he said the second involved the defendant "terrorising" the woman by grabbing her around the throat before forcing her down on her knees and again engaging in "forced oral sex" and then raping her vaginally. Mr Davies said the woman did not consent to the sexual activity but the 26-year-old defendant "cared not at all".

The court heard the woman later made disclosures about the incidents which led to the police becoming involved. The defendant was arrested and questioned and gave officers a prepared statement in which he said he did not know the complainant and had never met her. The prosecutor told the jury that they would hear evidence about phone text messages exchanged between the defendant and complainant which showed Hutchinson-Bernard was lying about not knowing her.

Giving evidence, Hutchinson-Bernard told his barrister Lowri Wynn Morgan he did not know the complainant and had never met her. He claimed the messages sent to her from his phone had not been sent by him, and the first time he saw them was following his arrest.

Ms Wynn Morgan said: "Did you have a sexual relationship with (the victim) have rough sex with her?" The defendant said: "No." Ms Wynn Morgan said: "Did you strangle her?" The defendant said: "No." Ms Wynn Morgan said: "Did you ever rape (the victim)." Hutchinson-Bernard said: "No way."

Alexander Hutchinson-Bernard, of Bideford Road, Llanrumney, Cardiff, denies two counts of oral rape, one count of vaginal rape, and one count of intention strangulation and the trial before Judge Eugen Egan continues.

Accessing support if you've been a victim of abuse

Support for survivors of sexual abuse is available from many different charities and organisations. The following non-exhaustive list includes contact details for services that may help if you've been affected by the issues raised in this article.

Lifecentre

• 0808 802 0808 (freephone)
• 07717 989 022 (textline)
• lifecentre.uk.com
• Support for survivors of rape and sexual abuse, and anyone supporting them. Includes a helpline, text support, and email counselling.

The National Association for People Abused in Childhood (NAPAC)

• 0808 801 0331
• support@napac.org.uk
• napac.org.uk
• Supports adult survivors of any form of childhood abuse. Offers a helpline, email support, and local services.

One in Four

• 0800 121 7114
• oneinfour.org.uk
• Offers advocacy services, counselling, and resources for adults who have experienced trauma or domestic or sexual abuse in childhood.

Safeline

• 0808 800 5005 (National Male Survivor helpline)
• safeline.org.uk
• Helplines for adults and young people who have experienced sexual abuse and rape.

The Survivors Trust

• 0808 8010 818
• thesurvivorstrust.org
• Lists local specialist services for survivors of sexual violence, including advocates and independent sexual violence advisers (ISVAs).

Rape Crisis England & Wales

• 0808 802 9999
• rapecrisis.org.uk
• Support for women and girls affected by rape, sexual abuse, or any form of sexual violence. Provides details of local centres.

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