Alleged rapist says victim told him 'no' but that it wasn't a 'hard no'

A man accused of raping a woman on the grounds that he said "no", but it wasn't a "hard no" is due to appear in court.

Austin Michael Brown, Nampa, Idaho, was arrested and charged on 29 August on a felony rape charge, according to KTVB.

The 22-year-old allegedly raped the woman in June after inviting her to his house.

The woman told police that once she arrived at the home, Brown picked her up and carried her upstairs before forcibly removing her clothing and having sex with her against her will.

She said she repeatedly told Brown to stop and tried to fight him off, but he allegedly held her down.

Brown initially denied that he had had sex with the woman but later admitted to the incident, police say.

He told police he had thought the encounter was consensual, and that the woman had told him “no” but that it wasn't a “hard no,” according to court documents.

A warrant was issued for Brown's arrest on 19 August and he is due back in court on 21 September.

The case comes three months after former Stanford University swimmer Brock Turner, 20, was found guilty of sexually assaulting a 23-year-old woman while she was unconscious near a house party.

 His victim wrote a letter addressed to him following the incident which she read out in court, sparking a new conversation about rape cases in the USA and across the world.

Turner was sentenced to six months in prison.