Slowthai tells court rape claims 'just not true'

Grammy-nominated rapper Slowthai has said allegations that he and a friend raped two women at a house party after a gig are "just not true".

The musician, whose real name is Tyron Frampton, 29, and his co-accused Alex Blake-Walker, 27, are on trial at Oxford Crown Court.

They face three joint charges of rape and one of sexual assault against two women.

Jurors have been told how Mr Frampton had performed at The Bullingdon music venue in Oxford on the evening of 7 September 2021.

Mr Frampton, Mr Blake-Walker and the two complainants then went on to the roof of the property, where it is claimed that the rapes took place.

Giving evidence to the court, Mr Frampton agreed that sexual activity had taken place between him and the second complainant, but insisted she had been consenting.

He said: "I know she was consenting, there wasn't a question.

"The energy she was giving me wasn't of someone who was not consenting. She was giving me eye contact.

"She was the one who initiated oral sex. If there was a point where she didn't want to give me oral sex, she would have stopped."

He accepted that he and Mr Blake-Walker had "fist-bumped" at the time but denied this was encouraging each other.

"We were both excited with what was happening," Mr Frampton said.

Mr Frampton was asked about the allegation that he raped the complainant a second time, by pushing her up against a wall then to the floor.

He replied: "It was 50/50. We were laughing, we were smiling, we were looking into each other's eyes. It is just not true."

Cross-examining the defendant, prosecutor Heather Stangoe asked: "Are these girls lying?"

Mr Frampton replied: "Yes."

He also denied that he and Mr Blake-Walker had talked about swapping, or that Mr Blake-Walker had asked whether he could "have a turn", and that he had replied "after".

The court heard Mr Frampton left the roof after hearing noise from a window. He said he had intended to stay but was "kicked out" of the property.

Ms Stangoe asked: "You are sexually predatory, aren't you?"

Mr Frampton replied: "No."

Ms Stangoe continued: "It didn't matter to you. You went to that house for one purpose."

Mr Frampton said: "I went to have a good time and have fun. Having fun is having fun. There's various ways to have fun.

"When we were on the roof, we were all having fun. There wasn't any element of anything that seemed like it wasn't fun."

The incident was reported to police after Mr Frampton and Mr Blake-Walker left the property, with the two complainants later making video statements to police.

Mr Frampton described being arrested and interviewed, then speaking to his then-partner.

"I explained I had cheated and I had been accused of raping the person I had cheated with," he told the jury.

He spoke of being "heavily stressed" in police custody and said he had not slept much.

"I couldn't believe what had unfolded, that these allegations were put against me," he said.

"I was thinking about the fact I had cheated on my partner and my son."

Mr Frampton, of Wellingborough Road, Northampton, and Mr Blake-Walker, of Wallbutton Road, south-east London, deny three joint charges of rape and one of sexual assault against two women.

The trial continues.

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