Rapper Slowthai asserts innocence in court regarding rape allegations

The Grammy-nominated rapper Slowthai has stated that accusations claiming he and an associate sexually assaulted two women following a performance at a house gathering are “just not true”. The artist, identified as Tyron Frampton, aged 29, and his fellow defendant Alex Blake-Walker, aged 27, are currently facing legal proceedings at Oxford Crown Court. They are jointly accused of three counts of rape and one count of sexual assault involving two female complainants. The jury was informed that Mr Frampton had given a performance at The Bullingdon music establishment in Oxford on the night of 7 September 2021. Subsequently, Mr Frampton, Mr Blake-Walker, and the two accusers proceeded to the building’s roof, the location where the alleged rapes occurred. While testifying in court, Mr Frampton acknowledged that sexual interaction had occurred between himself and the second accuser, yet maintained that her participation was consensual. He stated: “I know she was consenting, there wasn’t a question.” “The energy she was giving me wasn’t of someone who was not consenting. She was giving me eye contact.” “She was the one who initiated oral sex. If there was a point where she didn’t want to give me oral sex, she would have stopped.” He admitted that he and Mr Blake-Walker had exchanged a “fist-bump” during the event but refuted that this action constituted mutual encouragement. “We were both excited with what was happening,” Mr Frampton stated. Mr Frampton was questioned regarding the accusation that he sexually assaulted the complainant a second time, by forcing her against a wall and then to the ground. He responded: “It was 50/50. We were laughing, we were smiling, we were looking into each other’s eyes. It is just not true.” During cross-examination of the defendant, prosecutor Heather Stangoe inquired: “Are these girls lying?” Mr Frampton answered: “Yes.” He further denied that he and Mr Blake-Walker had discussed exchanging partners, or that Mr Blake-Walker had inquired if he could “have a turn,” to which he allegedly responded “after.” The court was informed that Mr Frampton departed the roof upon hearing sounds from a window. He claimed he had intended to remain but was “kicked out” of the premises. Ms Stangoe questioned: “You are sexually predatory, aren’t you?” Mr Frampton responded: “No.” Ms Stangoe proceeded: “It didn’t matter to you. You went to that house for one purpose.” Mr Frampton stated: “I went to have a good time and have fun. Having fun is having fun. There’s various ways to have fun.” “When we were on the roof, we were all having fun. There wasn’t any element of anything that seemed like it wasn’t fun.” The event was reported to law enforcement after Mr Frampton and Mr Blake-Walker departed the location, with the two accusers subsequently providing video testimonies to the police. Mr Frampton recounted his arrest and interrogation, followed by a conversation with his then-girlfriend. “I explained I had cheated and I had been accused of raping the person I had cheated with,” he informed the jury. He mentioned experiencing “heavily stressed” conditions while in police detention and stated he had not slept extensively. “I couldn’t believe what had unfolded, that these allegations were put against me,” he remarked. “I was thinking about the fact I had cheated on my partner and my son.” Mr Frampton, residing at Wellingborough Road, Northampton, and Mr Blake-Walker, residing at Wallbutton Road, south-east London, both plead not guilty to three joint counts of rape and one of sexual assault involving two women. The legal proceedings are ongoing. For updates, BBC Oxfordshire can be followed on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC bears no responsibility for material found on external websites. Information regarding our policy on external links is available.