Febuary 2013 ‘Sexsomnia’ claim actor Simon Morris jailed for raping 15 yr old girl An actor who claimed he was suffering from the sleep disorder sexsomnia when he raped a 15-year-old girl after getting her drunk has been jailed for eight years. Simon Morris, 42, who has appeared in the TV series Hollyoaks, had claimed to be fast asleep and said he could not remember the attack at a house party. The judge at Cardiff Crown Court told Morris, from south London, he had “told an endless number of glib lies”. Morris was found guilty in December. The trial of the Newport-born actor heard he helped his victim pour champagne before sneaking into her room at 6am and raping her. Morris denied it was rape, pretending he had no memory of sex because he was asleep. He said: “I have a history of sleepwalking, checking my phone, gyrating against door frames and having sex with partners in my sleep.” But Judge Daniel Williams told him: “You told an endless number of glib lies which you hoped would win over the jury. “But they saw through your lies and saw through you. “You were unrelenting in your pursuit of your victim. You tried to chat her up, boasting about your career in acting.” The judge said he played the role of nice guy, using his acting skills. No remorse “But there is another side to you – a side that you are unable to recognise how your victim was drunk and vulnerable. “Your defence was that you were asleep. You have shown no remorse and the only thing that has burdened you is self-pity.” The prosecution said Morris’s claim that he suffers from sexsomnia was a “feeble excuses to escape the inevitable”. Prosecutor Sue Ferrier said: “Morris took an interest in the girl – winking at her, helping her pour drinks and even offering her to stay with him in London.” She said the girl got drunk on cocktails and her father put her to sleep upstairs. “The girl’s father tried to wake his daughter at 6am to go home, but as she was fast asleep he left her in the bed for the night. “By 6.30am the girl was crying rape.” Morris was examined at the Edinburgh Sleep Centre to discover if he has sexsomnia – the medical condition where people engage in sex acts while still asleep. Psychologist Chris Dzikowski, the centre’s director, said after monitoring Morris’s sleep patterns in the laboratory, he found the features displayed were consistent with sleepwalking. But he said: “It is a possibility that in this case he was suffering from sexsomnia – I cannot exclude it.” Morris appeared in Michael Caine film in 2000 film Shiner, TV soap Hollyoaks in 2001, and on the West End stage between 1996 and 2006. He blew a kiss to his girlfriend as he was led to the cells. Morris was ordered to register as a sex offender for life. December 2012 ‘Sexsomnia’ claim Hollyoaks actor Simon Morris guilty of raping girl A 42-year-old actor has been found guilty of raping a 15-year-old girl at a house party after getting her drunk on cocktails. Simon Morris, who has appeared in the TV series Hollyoaks, claimed he did not know he was having sex as he has the sleep disorder “sexsomnia”. The Cardiff Crown Court jury convicted him of rape by a majority of 10-2. Morris, of south London, was told by the judge he faces a substantial jail term when sentenced in the new year. He was also found unanimously guilty of another sexual assault. The prosecution said that the defendant’s claims of sexsomnia – a medical condition in which people engage in sex acts while still asleep – were “feeble excuses to escape the inevitable”. Morris claimed during the trial that he had undergone tests at a sleep clinic in Edinburgh to “try to understand” his condition. The court heard that Morris, who appeared in the film Shiner in 2000, had said he did not remember having sex with the girl at the party in Newport, until police presented him with DNA evidence. The jury was told that he had travelled from his home in Battersea to the party, where he met the girl and her father. ‘Drunk on cocktails’ Sue Ferrier, prosecuting, said: “Morris took an interest in the girl – winking at her, helping her pour drinks and even offering her to stay with him in London. “The girl got drunk on cocktails and her father put her to sleep in an upstairs room. “The girl’s father tried to wake his daughter at 6am to go home, but as she was fast asleep he left her in the bed for the night. “By 6.30am the girl was crying rape.” Chris Dzikowski, director of Edinburgh Sleep Centre, where Morris was tested, said he could not rule out the defendant suffering from the condition. He said: “He sat up and moved unusually, grinded his teeth and had noticeable and sharp hand movements.” “I found that the features were consistent with sleepwalking. “It is a possibility that in this case he was suffering from sexsomnia – I cannot exclude it.” Judge Daniel Williams told Morris: “You have been convicted of two very serious offences and you are facing a substantial custodial sentence.