A man who raped a woman in Thetford after he was allowed to stay over for the night at her home after a Christmas party, was yesterday jailed for three years.

A MAN who raped a woman in Thetford after he was allowed to stay over for the night at her home after a Christmas party, was on Monday jailed for three years.

David Edwards, 27, admitted raping the woman in December last year.

Lori Tucker, prosecuting at Norwich Crown Court, said Edwards attended a Christmas celebration with friends but during the course of the evening was told there was nowhere for him to stay. He then met the victim who said he could stay the night at her house.

Mrs Tucker said he then raped the woman during the early hours while she was asleep in her bed.

Mrs Tucker said the victim woke up to find someone having sex with her. She could feel his breathing on the back of her neck and then she saw it was Edwards.

The next day she challenged him and he said he had not done anything but later on police found his DNA on her underwear.

When interviewed he made no comment except to say he had drunk a lot of alcohol and had no recollection of what happened.

William Carter, mitigating, said Edwards, of Mary Herbert Street, Coventry, was a man of previous good character who admitted the offence at the earliest opportunity.

"He was remorseful and ashamed of what occurred. He is usually a decent sort of man."

Sentencing him, Judge Paul Downes also put him on the sex offenders' register and disqualified him from working with children.

Judge Downes told him: "You are a very decent young man when you have not had a drink."

He added that it was a very serious offence but accepted he was of previous good character.