A MAN has been cleared of all charges after a woman reported she had been raped in her own home over the course of four hours.

Kamen Lawrence, 32, told a jury at Chelmsford Crown Court he had been invited into the complainant’s home in Colchester in April last year.

He said he had drunk six beers and had taken a small amount of cocaine that day, before the two got chatting about the coronavirus crisis outside her home.

Mr Lawrence told the court after he was invited inside her home, the complainant offered him vodka and allowed him to take a shower.

He said the pair engaged in sexual activity but did not have sex.

Read more: Man accused of rape calls alleged victim a 'storyteller' and a 'drama queen'

He told the jury he fell asleep on her sofa and awoke to police officers telling him he was under arrest.

The prosecution had alleged Mr Lawrence left the woman traumatised after he entered her home through an unlocked kitchen door.

She alleged he armed himself with a knife and subjected her to a sexual assault spanning four hours.

The court heard she ran shoeless out of the unlocked door to a nearby shop to raise the alarm.

During the trial, the jury were played body-worn footage captured by officers when they entered her home at about 1.30am.

They found Mr Lawrence naked and asleep on her sofa.

In the footage, he appears confused and intoxicated as he is told he is being arrested on suspicion of rape.

Mr Lawrence repeatedly denied attacking the woman in interview and during the trial, telling the jury he had moved a knife from her kitchen for safety in case the pair were interrupted.

A jury deliberated for more than four hours before clearing Mr Lawrence, of no fixed abode, on four counts of rape, four counts of assault by penetration, one count of sexual assault and one count of false imprisonment in a majority verdict.

Mr Lawrence’s family shouted out their thanks to the jury from the public gallery.

For news updates straight to your inbox, sign up to our court and crime newsletter here.

For the latest on crime and court, visit our dedicated Facebook page here.