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A BRITISH RAF mechanic who claimed he was sleepwalking when he had sex with a 15-year-old girl has been cleared of rape. Senior Aircraftsman Kenneth Ecott, 26, wept after a jury took two hours to find he was not responsible for his actions. Mr Ecott did not deny having sex with the girl, but said he had no memory of it happening. Instead he insisted he had a condition known as sexsomnia in which sufferers carry out indecent acts in their sleep. It was this affliction that made him climb naked on top of the girl at a friend's birthday...

TORONTO (Reuters) - The Canadian province of Ontario plans to review a court decision that acquitted a man of sexual assault charges because he suffers from "sexsomnia" and was asleep at the time of the incident. The Office of the Attorney General, which oversees the province's prosecutions, said on Thursday it needs to research its options for an appeal because of the strange circumstances of the case. "This matter will be carefully considered to determine our next steps," said Brendan Crawley, a spokesman for the Attorney General. Jan Luedecke, 33, was acquitted of sexual assault charges on Tuesday because he...

Rape crisis counselors and women's advocates are outraged Thursday after a man in Toronto, Canada was found not guilty of raping a woman because he was sleepwalking at the time, according to a Local 6 News report. Canadian lawyers said Jan Luedecke, 33, suffers from a rare condition called sexomnia. The genetic disorder combines sleepwalking with sexual acts and is often brought on by alcohol, according to the report. The two had met at a party in 2003 and she woke up on the couch to find Luedecke on top of her. He was charged with sexual assault after the...

Man gets three years probation in 'sexsomnia' case Thursday May 19, 2005 LOWELL, Mass. (AP) A Chelmsford man who was sentenced to three years of probation after pleading guilty to assaulting two young girls is being defended by the victims' mother, who claims the man has a sleep disorder. Richard Anderson, 34, suffers from ``sexsomnia,'' a sleep disorder in which a person engages in sexual activity while asleep, the woman said. He claimed in court that he was asleep when he touched the two girls and denied having any memory of the incidents. The woman told The Sun of Lowell...