A British woman has received $67,000 [$86,000 USD] in compensation after her rape case was dropped, amid claims she may have suffered from “sexsomnia”.
Jade Blue McCrossen-Nethercott, 32, called the police in 2017. She said she believed she had been raped while she was sleeping.
She described waking up half-naked to find her necklace broken on the floor.
Three years later, shortly before the trial was due to begin, the charges were dropped by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).
Two sleep experts said it was possible that McCrossen-Nethercott had an episode of sexsomnia.
Sexsomnia – also known as sleep sex – occurs when a person engages in sexual acts while they are asleep, while appearing to be awake and consenting.
Like sleepwalking, it is a parasomnia, an abnormal activity that occurs during a certain type of sleep.
The case was closed and the defendant was acquitted.
McCrossen-Nethercott has now received compensation from CPS.
Now the CPS has “issued an undeserved apology” and said it is “committed to improving every aspect of how life-changing crimes such as rape are dealt with”.
In response, McCrossen-Nethercott said CPS had “brought me to the darkest points of my life” and that it felt “like a great triumph to be able to hold them accountable”.
The woman’s lawyers said it was “extremely rare” for the CPS to make a payout like this.