Overview
- Thomas Mason, 28, told Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court the encounter was consensual, said he stopped when she said it hurt, and broke down describing learning he was a suspect.
- Under cross-examination, he rejected allegations he slapped the complainant, put his hands around her neck, raped her after she told him to stop, or inserted a finger.
- A festival steward testified she heard giggling followed by a woman saying “ow” and “stop” and crying, but she did not see inside the tent and described being uncertain.
- A doctor reported a sub-1cm laceration at the vaginal entrance and told the court such an injury can occur in consensual or non-consensual sex and cannot establish rape.
- Police said Mason’s phone contained no images of the complainant, and the trial continues at Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court.