Sheffield teacher accused of raping woman while she slept claims there was “never” any nonconsensual sex
A Sheffield teacher accused of raping a woman while she slept on three occasions has claimed there was “never” any nonconsensual sex.
Aron Hook, aged 35, is said to have spoken of “blanket consent” in Whatsapp messages and in conversation with the woman at various times, saying the concept was a “long-running joke” between them.
Sheffield Crown Court heard the woman had awoken on three separate occasions to find the music teacher having sex with her in bed.
Hook, of Singleton Road, Hillsborough, claims there was “never” any nonconsensual sex between himself and the woman and denies rape.
A jury heard evidence from a police interview today (Wednesday) that after one alleged incident the complainant was said to have told sporadic insomniac Hook he was using her as a “sedative”.
Hook denied ever having had intercourse with the complainant while she was asleep, calling her a “liar” and a “clever woman”.
During Hook’s trial, Helen Chapman, prosecuting, described how, after one of the alleged rapes, Hook sent the complainant a series of messages.
The first allegedly showed an animation of a “hashtag,” while the second is said to have depicted a cartoon of a blanket, and the third and final message is said to have shown an animation of the word “consent” featuring characters from the Spongebob Squarepants children’s cartoon.
When asked about this on the witness stand by defence barrister Dermot Hughes, Hook said: “It was nothing more than a lighthearted joke.
“The joke was saying we didn’t need written consent... I never used that as an excuse to rape people at free will.”
Speaking about blanket consent comments, he told a detective during interview: “There have been times when I’ve woken up and she’s touching me. It was a long-running joke.”
However Hook denied ever touching her when she was asleep. Speaking about the allegations, Hook said he was “not a dominant person”, describing himself as a “prude”, adding: “It’s not like a thing I would do.”
Giving evidence on the stand, Hook, who qualified as teacher in 2010, denied ever having raped the complainant.
The court heard Hook was unaware the complainant had already made a statement to police when he himself made a complaint against her in respect of some of his property.
He told the court if he was “aware” that he had raped her he would not have “antagonised” the complainant by going to the police.
Describing the moment of his arrest, Hook said: “I remember collapsing in shock. My whole world came crashing down because I had no idea.”
The trial continues.
Please note: Mr Hook was cleared of all charges he faced, when the jury returned unanimous not guilty verdicts on March 26, 2026.
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