A professional poker player sexually assaulted a female member of his born-again Christian church congregation when attending her flat to assemble a flat-pack wardrobe, a court heard today.
Daniel James Godwin, 31, picked-up the five-foot tall civil servant and stood her on her bed before pinning her to the living-room wall with her arms stretched above her head, the jury were told.
Afterwards he sent her a WhatsApp message, which read: “Sorry about the rapey incident earlier,” and effectively “confessed” to church elders when investigated by the pastor, say the prosecution.
Godwin, of Newgate Tower, Newgate, Croydon has pleaded not guilty to one count of sexually assaulting the university graduate on June 16, last year.
Both attended Redeemer Church, Cherry Orchard Road, Croydon, where two months later Godwin was summonsed to attend a meeting.
“He said he grabbed her by the arm and forced a kiss, dragged her to the bedroom and said his intention was sexual and he left when she fought him off,” prosecutor Mr. Mark Halsey told Croydon Crown Court.
“He tried to justify what he had done, saying all men have this motivation.
“He said the solution was not to leave him alone with a woman. The Crown say that is a sort of confession.”
The woman, giving evidence from behind a screen, told the jury: “I did think if I didn’t say the right thing he was probably going to rape me.”
She told the court Godwin told her: “Lust came over me,” and advised her in order to avoid similar incidents again she should never be alone with a man.
Godwin visited her Croydon flat to do some odd jobs and they shared an afternoon bottle of wine.
“He asked me to kiss him and I don’t know why I said it, but I said: ‘You kiss me.’ He kissed me on my lips and picked me up and put me on the bed standing up, which I thought was really weird.
“I remember him staring at me and he had his hand around my waist. I took his arm off and walked off the bed and thought that was the end of it.
“That’s when he grabbed me and put his arms around me, around my waist from behind and I took his arms off again.
“He came after me in the living room, pinning me against the wall. He held my wrists above my head.
“I didn’t want him to get angry, it was like his face had changed. I said: ‘We can’t do this now’ and that’s when he let go of me and sighed.
“I think at that point he was kissing my neck. I told him to calm down and he stopped.
“My skin crawled a bit. It was just so gross, the whole thing, it felt disgusting.
“I felt he had violated me in my home and I did not even get the curtain tie backs done.”
When questioned by police Godwin said he stopped when it was obvious the woman did not want to continue kissing.
Trial continues………..
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