21-year-old student on trial for alleged rape and sexual assault of four students

He is currently on trial at Liverpool Crown Court

2 years ago | UPDATED 2 years ago

TW: Contains mentions of rape and sexual assault

21-year-old student Charles Goodwin is currently on trial for the alleged rape and sexual assault of four fellow students.

Goodwin is facing 12 charges including six counts of rape, two counts of sexual assault and two counts of assault by penetration, choking and assault. The alleged offences took place between January 2020 and May 2021. Goodwin has denied all charges.

He is currently on trial at Liverpool Crown Court where jurors were told Goodwin admitted to sexual activity with all four victims but claims they were consensual.

The first victim alleged she met Goodwin in a nightclub in Manchester before going home with him where he raped and choked her.

She told the jury they had kissed in the smoking area before he reportedly “begged” her to go back home with him. She declined but agreed to him coming back to her flat as she knew her friends would be home soon and she asked them to knock on her door.

She claimed in the taxi home Goodwin put his hands down her underwear and she pushed him off but he did not take it well.

When they arrived back at her home they began having consensual sex however she claimed he then went onto be “more aggressive than before and started calling me names, saying ‘you are a stupid sl*t’ and grabbed hold of my throat with one hand and started choking me.”

The victim alleged she said “no” and he slapped her across the face multiple times and held her down by her neck with his other hand.

She told the jury: “He was really strong and was on to top of me. I was trying to get him off me but I couldn’t speak and then he grabbed me with both hands and started choking me and strangling me with immense pressure and I couldn’t breathe and felt I was going to lose consciousness.”

She went onto say she managed to get out from underneath him but he went onto rape her whilst choking her.

Liverpool Crown Court heard from the victim her friends returned and banged on the door. She said she was able to get away from Goodwin and told him to get out. She said he was “really angry” and shouted abuse at her as he left.

The court heard from the victim the alleged choking incident has left her unable to have things around her neck as it reminds her of the incident.

Goodwin was on police bail after the first alleged attack when he allegedly went onto commit the next two attacks, he was then questioned again and released on bail before going on to commit the alleged fourth attack.

The trial continues.

Featured image credit via Mikey/Creative Commons Licence