Woman felt ‘helpless’ during rape by rapper Slowthai, trial hears

A woman who alleges she was raped by Grammy-nominated rapper Slowthai has described how she felt “helpless” during the attack and did not resist, a court heard.

The musician, whose real name is Tyron Frampton, is accused of raping the woman at a house party following a performance in Oxford.

Frampton, 29, and his friend Alex Blake-Walker, 27, are on trial at Oxford Crown Court accused of raping two women in the early hours of September 8 2021.

They had been introduced to the woman and her friends after a gig in the bar of The Bullingdon.

After going to Frampton’s tour bus, the group of eight women and four men headed to a flat for the party, the court heard.

While some of the women remained inside the property with the defendants’ friends, Frampton and Blake-Walker went on to the roof of the property with the two complainants.

The prosecution alleges Blake-Walker raped the first complainant while being encouraged by Frampton, and that Frampton twice raped the second complainant while being encouraged by Blake-Walker.

It is said they both sexually assaulted the woman whom Frampton is alleged to have raped.

In a police interview conducted a week after the alleged rapes, the woman told officers she had been drinking and had taken ketamine and cocaine that night.

She described arriving at the house and as she climbed the stairs both defendants began touching her indecently.

After climbing through a bedroom window on to the flat roof, the woman told officers Frampton pushed her to the floor and forced her to perform oral sex on him.

“I said stop to him. Slowthai was trying to pull my hair so I would continue giving him oral sex,” she told police.

“They were saying, ‘No it’s safe we’ll look after you… it’s safe with us’. They were saying, ‘It’s so great, can’t believe this is happening’ and fist-bumping each other.”

Describing the second alleged rape, she said: “He picked me up off the floor and pushed me into the wall and shoved my face into the wall and he began to have sex with me.

“He had his one hand on the back of my head against the wall and the other hand to stabilise me because I wasn’t really able to hold myself up.

“I hadn’t said no, not saying anything, I just pretended I wasn’t really there.

“At some point I said I wanted to go inside.”

The woman said Blake-Walker – who was masturbating – tried to get her to perform oral sex on him while Frampton was having sex with her.

“Blake-Walker was standing next to us as I could see him and he asked if he could have a turn,” she said.

“I just shut my eyes and waited for it to be done. He was frustrated by the angle because I wasn’t co-operating. He them moved me and lay me on the floor.

“My friend came to the window and told them to get out and told them they were f****** weirdos.”

Describing the other complainant, she said: “I could hear her retching and saying she was not doing this and him saying she was safe.

“I could hear them saying how good it was and how awesome it was and again fist-bumping each other.

“They said the phrase tag team. I think Blake-Walker was suggesting it.”

During the interview, a police officer asked the woman why she never told Frampton to stop.

The woman replied: “I didn’t want them to be aggressive towards me. I didn’t want to ruin it, so that’s why I didn’t say stop.

“I felt helpless, like my body was not my own and I wasn’t really a person, and I was just a ‘thing’ and they were going to do stuff regardless.

“I thought if they were going to go to these ends, I should just let them.

“I knew they were not going to leave the roof until they got what they wanted. He grabbed the window so I couldn’t get back into the bedroom.”

Frampton, of Wellingborough Road, Northampton, and 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.