An Ipswich man accused of raping a drunk woman at an 18th birthday party has denied removing her clothing and having sex with her.

Keiffer Sewell told a jury at Ipswich Crown Court that the woman’s mother had asked him to take her upstairs to her bedroom, after she was sick because of the amount she had to drink.

He said he had been worried about her and had asked if he could get her anything.

The woman had got under the covers with her clothes on and while he was sitting on the bed next to her, he claimed she had asked him for a cuddle.

Sewell said he had rubbed the woman’s back and had then accompanied her to the toilet. He said he held her hair out of the way while she was being sick.

After he returned to the party, he heard a loud noise upstairs and found the alleged victim on the floor leaning against her bed with no top on.

Sewell said the woman’s mother had put a top on her and had thanked him for looking after her daughter.

He said that shortly afterwards, he was asked to leave the party and was accused of raping the woman.

He said he felt disgusted when he was called a rapist because that’s not the kind of person he is.

“I was upset because all I’d wanted to do was help,” said Sewell.

He denied removing the woman’s clothes and raping her.

Sewell, 23, of Hadleigh Road, Ipswich has denied raping the woman, who is in her 20s, four years ago in 2017 - when he was aged 19.

It has been alleged that while he was upstairs in the alleged victim’s room, he removed her clothes and raped her while covering her mouth to muffle her protests.

The police were called and Sewell’s full DNA profile was subsequently found on internal swabs taken from the victim, said Roger Smith, prosecuting.

Sewell told the court the girl had kissed and hugged him during the party and while she was throwing a sex toy around, he had caught it and thrown it back to her.

The trial continues.