A FORMER student who appeared on the BBC TV quiz show University Challenge has been cleared of raping a woman in her halls of residence.

Bartholomeo Joly de Lotbiniere, 22, was found not guilty of rape and assault by penetration following a retrial at Bradford Crown Court.

He told the court the consensual sexual encounter with his fellow student in June 2014 was an embarrassment because he failed to perform. The woman, now 22, went to police after seeing Mr Joly de Lotbiniere on the television quiz programme a year later.

During the five-day trial, Mr Joly de Lotbiniere, of London, denied raping the woman at the University of York halls and told police “these are horrible lies”.

He described to the court how he and the woman were part of a group that had gone out drinking in York and had returned to her hall of residence where they tried to have sex, but they both agreed to stop.