‘Night Moves': British Man Diagnosed With 'Sexsomnia' After Rape Conviction

According to the BBC, the anonymous British man has been diagnosed with ‘sexsomnia', a medical condition.

The man was referred to the doctors by his girlfriend, who experienced "out of character behavior" on his part, when he tried to forcefully "penetrate her through her underwear," as she slept.

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When confronted by his partner about the incident, the man said that he had no recollection of it.

"He didn't know what I was talking about so he was quite defensive."

"And I was really angry having been woken up and him just completely oblivious to the whole thing," the woman, who also wished to remain anonymous, told the BBC. 

Speaking to the BBC, Dr. Guy Leschziner, who is supervising the case, said that "he appears to be awake and deeply asleep at the same time."

"During brief periods we can see the large slow brainwaves of deep sleep, with superimposed fast rhythms, suggesting simultaneously that he is awake."

Following the medical examination and his girlfriend's testimony, the doctors concluded that the man suffers from ‘sexsomnia', a rare form of sleepwalking and night terrors.

Dr. Leschziner stated that in sexsomnia, parts of the brain that control emotions, vision and movement remain awake, whilst the parts that are responsible for decision-making and memory are in a state of deep sleep.

"So people in this state can talk, walk, eat, cook, drive or even have sex, without clear consciousness or memory," Leschziner said.

Leschzinerm however, reaffirmed that "without having electrodes attached during the night of the rape, it's impossible to be sure whether it was as a result of sleep disorder."

"Tom [the man's pseudonym] was found guilty by a jury."

Following the diagnosis and some sleep-enhancing treatment, the man's condition has dramatically improved with instances of sexsomnia being "very controlled now."