Court Hears “Orgy” Comment Made at Party Linked to Slowthai Rape Allegations

A court has been informed that individuals attending a party, where Grammy-nominated rapper Slowthai and his associate are accused of raping two women, were told that an “orgy” was taking place. The artist, identified as Tyron Frampton, 29, and his co-defendant Alex Blake-Walker, 27, are currently facing trial at Oxford Crown Court. Mr. Frampton had performed at The Bullingdon music venue in Oxford on the evening of September 7, 2021, with the alleged assaults occurring subsequent to this event. Both individuals deny three joint charges of rape and one charge of sexual assault involving two women. Navinder Nangla, a friend of Mr. Frampton and a stylist on his tour, stated that approximately 10 minutes into his attendance at the party, he overheard a comment regarding alleged activities occurring on an upper floor. Mr. Nangla, present in the living room alongside other attendees, testified to the court: “One girl had said she is a slag and another girl said ‘there is an orgy happening’. We really did not take much notice of it.” He further stated: “There was a lot shouting and screaming. She said this girl is not meant to be here.” He indicated that he was unaware of the individual to whom the “orgy” comment referred, or the specific room within the residence where it was purportedly taking place. The jury was previously informed that following the performance, the two complainants proceeded to Mr. Frampton’s tour bus before going to a friend’s house for a party, where Mr. Frampton and Mr. Blake-Walker subsequently joined them. Subsequently, all four individuals ascended to the property’s roof, where the alleged rapes are claimed to have occurred. The prosecution asserts that Mr. Blake-Walker raped the first complainant with encouragement from Mr. Frampton, and that Mr. Frampton twice raped the second complainant with encouragement from Mr. Blake-Walker. It is also stated that both men sexually assaulted the woman whom Mr. Frampton is alleged to have raped. As Mr. Nangla and Mr. Frampton moved towards the front door, an outburst of shouting and swearing erupted. Mr. Nangla recounted: “Some girls (were) shouting, saying ‘we have lost respect, just go, get out’.” He characterized the mood between himself and the accused after their departure from the house as “more confused than anything”. Mr. Frampton had previously informed the jury that sexual activity occurred between him and the second complainant, but maintained that she had consented. He acknowledged that he and Mr. Blake-Walker had “fist-bumped” at the time, but refuted that this constituted mutual encouragement. On Monday, Adam Royal, a marketing executive in the music industry and a friend of Mr. Frampton, characterized the rapper as “lovely, friendly, fun, great to be around and just to be a friend with”. He asserted that he has “never” observed Mr. Frampton acting inappropriately towards any of his fans, including female fans. Defence counsel Patrick Gibbs clarified that Mr. Frampton faces accusations of rape and of continuing sexual contact without consent. He inquired: “Have you ever seen anything like that from him?” Mr. Royal responded that he would “not put that association with him,” further stating: “No. It is a million miles away from anything I have come to know of him.” For updates, you can follow BBC Oxfordshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC bears no responsibility for the content of external websites. Information regarding our external linking policy is available.