A chef has spoken of his relief at being cleared of raping a lawyer.

The woman had claimed she had been too drunk to consent to sex.

But a jury took just 45 minutes to acquit 26-year-old Peter Bacon.

Afterwards Mr Bacon, who works at a pub in Canterbury and lives in the city, said he was desperate to put the case behind him and get on with his life.

"The issue has been resolved and I am just happy to move on - it is fantastic," said Mr Bacon, who is also studying for a degree in sociology.

"I have two months left of university and I have got a lot of essays to catch up on. It’s awesome to be able to walk free."

Winchester Crown Court heard that Mr Bacon was horrified after sleeping with the woman when she woke in the morning and said she would be making a complaint of rape.

The lawyer, who is in her 40s, told him: "It’s because of bastards like you that the law has been changed."

She was referring to a 2007 legal ruling that a person who is drunk may not be capable of giving consent.

Mr Bacon was so concerned by her allegations he went straight to a police station. He told an officer the sex was consensual - but was later arrested and charged.

The court heard that on the night they had sex, the woman shared a meal and four bottles of wine with a former flatmate.

The friend invited Mr Bacon to the property for a few drinks after the meal, but left just half an hour later, leaving the woman and him to talk. They shared two further bottles between them.

The lawyer, who cannot be named for legal reasons, told the jury she was so drunk she could not remember her friend leaving or Mr Bacon arriving on February 17, last year.

She said: "I came-to and was aware of somebody lying behind me with their hand on my left breast.

"I was terribly shocked and was hyperventilating. I thought it was possible I had had sex but did not know until I went for a medical examination.

"I was too drunk to consent to anything."

A medical examination revealed she had had sex and still had 175 mg of alcohol in 100 ml of blood - more than double the drink drive limit of 80 mg - the following morning.

Mr Bacon, who had denied rape, told the court she had been drunk but played a full part in what happened that night and even performed oral sex on him.

He said: "She was kissing me and just enjoying the moment - she was a willing party in what was happening."