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A pedestrian passes the Occupy London camp, outside St Paul's Cathedral.
A pedestrian passes the Occupy London camp, outside St Paul's Cathedral, last year. Photograph: Luke Macgregor/Reuters
A pedestrian passes the Occupy London camp, outside St Paul's Cathedral, last year. Photograph: Luke Macgregor/Reuters

Anonymous UK founder accused of rape at Occupy London camp

This article is more than 10 years old
Malcolm Blackman, who is accused of raping a woman at the St Paul's protest, also kept a tally of sexual partners, court told

The self-styled founder of the hacking activist group Anonymous UK kept a tally of sexual partners on his tent at the Occupy London protest camp at St Paul's cathedral, a court has heard.

Malcolm Blackman, who is accused of raping a woman with whom he had a brief relationship at the camp, started the list of names on the outside of the tent, to which a fellow protester mischievously added other names, the Old Bailey was told.

The details emerged from a summary of a post-arrest interview with Blackman, 46, in June, which was read to the court.

The list was begun by Blackman "as a joke with other men" at the camp, the summary said. At this point, Blackman had slept with three women at the camp. "Another man added more tallies and names," said David Povall, prosecuting, who was reading the summary. "Three of the names were correct and the rest speculative, which caused a lot of trouble with women in the camp."

Blackman, the court was told, subsequently "wished he had not done it".

The court heard Blackman moved to the camp when it began, in mid-October 2011, initially staying in other people's tents as he did not have one of his own. He moved into the tent of his alleged victim, another member of Anonymous UK, who stayed at the camp only at weekends, and began a brief relationship with her in December.

Soon after the relationship began the pair went for a drink at a bar at which Blackman told the woman their connection should be "casual, with no exclusivity or strings". At one point she tried to hold hands with him, and "he did not want this", the statement added.

Blackman, from Weston-super-Mare in north Somerset, denies two counts of rape in January 2012.

The court also heard from a former colleague of the alleged victim, who recounted going into the office one day in February last year to find her workmate tearful and upset. During a subsequent drink after work the alleged victim told her colleague that she had been attacked by Blackman.

The colleague, giving evidence from behind a green curtain, said the alleged victim had recounted going to sleep in her tent at the camp after some drinks. She continued: "She said she had woken up and there was a belt around her throat and neck, being held by Malcolm. She somehow managed to throw him off. She lay there and he said something on the lines of 'You're a touchy one.'"

Giving evidence, Blackman insisted he never raped the woman, and that she never asked him to stop any sexual activity. Blackman described tensions between the pair, saying she wanted a relationship while he was devoted to his role in the protest, describing this as "winning hearts and minds" by talking to visitors.

Blackman said he told the woman their relationship was "moving far too fast and was far too intense", adding: "It was diverting my attention away from what I was there for, which was to spread the word to the public."

Describing a night of drinking to celebrate his birthday in February last year, Blackman said he had to call for help from other protesters after the woman stopped him leaving their tent after he refused to discuss their relationship. On another evening the alleged victim punched Blackman and another female protester, with whom he was now having sex, and had to be "dragged away, screaming", he said.

Asked by Gordon Ross, defending, about the tally of sexual partners on his tent, Blackman said it was a joke which he regretted. Questioned about when he first knew the alleged victim had learned of the list, he replied: "When she punched me."

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