A man has denied raping a drunk 16-year-old girl in a dark, secluded part of Brighton beach, instead saying the teenager was “completely happy” during the encounter, a trial has heard.
Joseph Eubank, who is accused of two counts of rape after allegedly dragging the teenager down to the bottom of the beach on July 16, 2022, instead told jurors it was “all very fluent and very consensual”.
The 27-year-old, of Hove, gave evidence at Lewes Crown Court on Wednesday, saying that he approached the girl standing near the seafront because he was attracted to her and started a conversation.
Joseph Eubank outside Brighton and Hove Magistrates’ Court, East Sussex (Jordan Pettitt/PA)
The court had heard from prosecutor Beverly Cripps how the teenager had been drinking vodka with friends celebrating a birthday and had never been drunk like that before and “couldn’t see straight”.
But Eubank, who said he had not drunk alcohol that night, said “she looked completely sober” during their chat near the beach and he did not think she was drunk.
“There were smirks and smiles, there were intense looks her and I were sharing while having these conversations that suggested we were both quite attracted to one another,” he told the court.
Jurors had heard from the alleged victim that she was “rushed” down the beach and that she was falling on the stones because she could not stand up, and Eubank kept pulling her back up.
But Eubank said as they set off for a walk he interlocked arms with the teenager and “slowly and calmly” walked to the seaside.
Asked if the pair had discussed what they would do at the beach, Eubank replied no, adding: “Her body language on the night was very clear to me.”
He said they began kissing in the secluded part of the beach before she asked about his age, which was when he learned she was 16.
He told jurors his reaction was to pull back, gasp and said “oh shit” but said she replied: “No, no, no, it’s fine, it’s ok.”
Asked as they continued if there was difficulty, Eubank added: “She was showing no signs of restraint, she was completely happy in the environment, we both were.”
He told the court how after the 25 minutes together, he went back up to the beach to meet his cousin who had been calling him, but on reflection knew it was the “wrong thing to do” and that if he had not left her on her own on the beach he would not be in this situation.
Eubank later texted the teenager to see if she wanted to meet up again later that evening in a message which read: “Hey pup are you ready for round two”.
Asked why he did not tell police about the message, he said: “I thought the police would be able to figure all this out very quickly. I didn’t think it would ever get this far.
“I thought after CCTV footage was checked, I thought I would be proven very innocent.”
The trial continues.