Alexander Hicken, 23, a former gymnast who represented the junior Team Great Britain at Loule Gymnastic World Cup in Portugal in 2012, faces prison term on the grounds of sexually assaulting a young drunk woman at a party in August 2019.
Hicken was convicted unanimously by jurors after a four-day trial, which revealed horrifying details that surround the crime. According to Daily Mail, Hicken was clearly aware of his victim’s vulnerability, and bragged, “I’m going to f*** her” to his friends. The court heard that the gymnast was in a relationship with another woman, at the time of the assault. The victim’s name remains undisclosed to protect her identity.
Prosecutor Emily Cook revealed to the Winchester Crown Court in Hampshire that Hicken’s victim was clearly scarred after the nightmarish incident, which occurred after she was put to bed at the party—having overdosed on Lambrini and vodka jelly shots. Hicken allegedly sat beside the victim’s bed, and repeatedly rubbed her thigh and bum until he was thrown out of the room.
“On the way to the pub, Alex Hicken was making claims about the victim to his friends and saying that he was going to have sex with her and then said ‘whoops, shouldn’t have said that',” Cook added, reported The Sun. The other allegations included Hicken sticking his tongue in the victim’s mouth and grabbing her body over her clothes, as the girl lay helpless and was “crying”.
Hicken got back to his sick acts on returning to the house, and cited how “he was not finished”. He reportedly went on with his sexual advances, and yet was startled when he saw others come upstairs. The assault was allegedly carried out through a span of eight-hours, despite being repeatedly asked to stop.
The court heard how the distressed victim made over 27 searches online in less than two days since the incident, pertaining to sexual assault, which included keywords like ‘how to deal with sexual assault,’ ‘mental health effects of sexual assault and abuse’ and ‘rape and sexual abuse helplines'.
The attack reportedly shook the woman’s morale to the extent that friends often felt she was no longer the same person she once used to be. The victim claimed to have experienced nightmares for months together after Hicken assaulted her, to the extent of habitually checking if Hicken was still around in her room.
Hicken appeared before the court with his parents. His mother works as a social worker while his father is a deputy headteacher. The former gymnast refused to take accountability for the charges against him. A volley of members of the Gymnastic Club sided with the sportsperson.
Hicken’s sentencing by the Winchester Crown Court is scheduled for October.
