Former Hollyoaks’ actor blames his sleepwalking `sexsomnia` for raping teen girl

London: A former ‘Hollyoaks’ actor has denied charges of rape and assault filed against him, saying that he had sex with a 15-year-old girl while he was sleepwalking.

Simon Morris, 42, claimed that he had no memory of the alleged incident, which he said must have happened in his sleep, when he was suffering from an attack of sexsomnia, the Mirror reported. He told Cardiff crown court that the condition had led him to gyrate against door frames and have sex with partners in his sleep. Morris, who also appeared in Michael Caine film ‘Shiner,’ told the jury: “I once engaged in sexual activity with a recent ex-girlfriend. I climbed on top of her in the middle of a night in a blank state. “I have also had partial sex with my current partner and gyrated against her leg,” he said. His explanation was ridiculed by Sue Ferrier, prosecuting, who called his sexsomnia claim “feeble excuses to escape the inevitable.” Ferrier said the defendant took an interest in the teenager during a party in Newport, Gwent, last year. He winked at her, helped her pour drinks and offered her a place to stay with him in London. The girl ended up drunk on cocktails and her father, also at the party, put her to sleep upstairs. Morris then checked on her after she was sick and carried her into another bed, the court heard. Her father tried to wake his daughter at 6am to go home, but left her as she was fast asleep. Later at 6.30am the girl said she had been raped. A statement from the 15-year-old was read out in court in which she described waking to see Morris standing in front of her, touching her sexually before having sex with her. The actor denied having intercourse with her until he was given DNA evidence. His girlfriend gave evidence maintaining Morris had once tried to have sex with her while he was asleep. Morris said that he had undergone testing at a sleep clinic in Edinburgh to try to understand what could have happened. ANI