Barrister accused of chambers sex assault tells court: she invited me to 'be big spoon'

Alex di Francesco, 36, is accused of sexual assault
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A barrister accused of groping a woman at his Chambers when she refused to have sex said she invited him to her home to "be big spoon", a court heard.

Alex di Francesco, 36, allegedly pulled down the 24-year-old's tights and underwear and grabbed her bottom after she had pushed him away.

But he insists that briefly slipped his hand into her tights after they had kissed "consensually", and he stopped when she asked him to.

The barrister, who was called to the Bar in 2008, said the woman then pleaded with him to come to her home in south London where they would "spoon".

Di Francesco said they had been "flirty" after meeting in Daly's wine bar, opposite the High Court, on January 30, and he invited her to his 25 Bedford Row chambers at the end of the night as he collected his belongings.

The woman tried on his wig and gown and was taken on a tour of the chambers, ending up lying together on the floor of the grand conference room.

Di Francesco said the woman wanted to lie down, asking him to "be big spoon" by lying beside her.

"She said 'will you lie with me and be big spoon?'", he told Highbury Corner magistrates court.

"Initially I thought it was a slightly odd request, it just seemed like a slightly odd thing to say but I thought it was a way of trying to progress matters."

Di Francesco said they had kissed by his desk in the basement, and again when he showed her the impressive conference room with paintings adorning the walls.

"I didn't understand the whole big spoon thing, it was a bit odd", he said.

"We hadn't embarked upon sex but it was going alright."

He said her skirt had ridden up as they lay on the floor and he slipped his hand on to her bottom under her tights.

"She quite quickly and abruptly said she didn't want me to do that", he said.

"I was surprised given the situation, it didn't seem like an overly forward thing to do in the circumstances, but I immediately pulled my hand away."

Di Francesco said the atmosphere changed, he broke the silence by asking about her past relationships and she said she had recently broken up with her boyfriend.

"I started to think I need to get out of here, I was caught in a position where we were lying in the dark in chambers with someone who wanted to just lie with me, with someone who had just got out of a relationship", he said.

He stood up but said she was "insistent" that he should lie back down again.

"She said 'pease lie with me, please be big spoon'", he said.

"She stayed on the floor and asked me to continue lying on the floor which I reluctantly did.

"I lay back down on the floor, we didn't kiss anymore, we stayed on the floor in relative silence for about five minutes."

Di Francesco said he decided to leave, but the woman pleaded with him to come home with her.

When he refused, di Francesco said she accused him: "You won't come home with me because I won't have sex with you."

The barrister told the court: "It got under my skin, I said that's not true but to be perfectly frank what's the point of going back if that's not what we are going to do."

Di Francesco said he has not worked as a barrister since May when he was told there would be a prosecution.

"It has been one of the more difficult times in my life", he added.

Di Francesco, of London Road, Flamstead, Herts, denies sexual assault. The trial continues.

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