Albion players sex assault jury to resume its deliberations

A jury will try to reach a verdict on three Brighton and Hove Albion football players and a former team mate today (Monday 4 February).

The four footballers are accused of sexually assaulting a teenager in their hotel room as she slept.

They are also accused of voyeurism after players exposed themselves and took photographs of themselves and the 19-year-old woman at the Jurys Inn by Brighton Station.

Albion players George Barker, 21, Lewis Dunk, 21, and Anton Rodgers, 20, and their former team mate Steve Cook, 21, who has since joined Bournemouth, deny the charges.

Barker and Rodgers, both of Highview Avenue North, Brighton, Dunk, of Woodbourne Avenue, Brighton, and Cook, of Perth Road, St Leonard’s, were celebrating winning the Sussex Senior Cup in July 2011.

They said that the woman, who is now 21, was awake for much of the time and had climbed into bed with two of the players and tried to kiss them.

They said that they were just larking around and added that the woman took part in what they described as banter.

She admitted lying to her boss and to Sussex Police officers about what had happened.

The jury will resume its deliberations at the Central Criminal Court in London, better known as the Old Bailey.