A sex beast who raped a woman after spiking her drink with MDMA blamed her injuries on a demon

Darren Callaghan, 48, claimed his victim had become "sex-crazed" after taking the party drug which caused her to act "like something out of the Exorcist."

When she woke semi-naked in the morning with injuries all over her body he tried to convince her they were caused by supernatural activity.

But a court was told "this was nothing to do with ghosts" and Callaghan had laced her drink with drugs before raping her.

He was remanded in custody by Judge Andrew Lockhart QC who warned him that he was facing a "significant prison term".

The court heard Callaghan drove 140 miles from the south coast to meet the woman in Rugby, Warks., for a date after they met on the internet.

Prosecutor Adrian Fleming said: "He put it [MDMA] in her drink without her knowledge and, having done that, he assaulted her causing a number of injuries, and he raped her while she was in a state partly brought about by the administering of the drug.

"The combination of the spiked drink and the large amount of alcohol she had had to drink left her incapable of consenting to sex."

During their online chats they talked about sex, and Callaghan even sent her an intimate picture of himself.

Mr Fleming said: "They got on so well that an arrangement was made for him to travel up to Rugby for a face-to-face meeting."

She said he became "a little boisterous" and got physical when he arrived at her house, trying to pull her trousers down, until she told him to stop.

The pair then visited various pubs in Rugby, where she had five or more glasses of wine before they got a taxi back to her house.

Police photo of Darren Callaghan

When they got back she recalled Callaghan making them both a Jack Daniels and Coke, despite her feeling "pretty drunk".

Mr Fleming added "She thought her drink tasted a bit funny, and soon after she began to feel unwell and had some sort of seizure.

"She recalls falling down and her memories after that are vague. She is very clear she did not take it knowingly.

"Although the defendant has admitted giving her a small amount of MDMA, he says it was at her request.

"The next thing she recalls is waking late the following morning, naked apart from her bra, and Callaghan lying next to her, naked.

"She was aware she had injuries all over her body, and she asked if he had punched her in the face.

"He said no, and that she was possessed and that there was a demon in her house.

"The inescapable fact is that somehow she got very real injuries all over her body. This was nothing to do with ghosts.

"She has no recollection of having sex with him whatsoever. If she was incapable, any sex he had with her was rape."

Callaghan, of Southsea, Hants, was found guilty of rape after a trial at Warwick Crown Court on Tuesday and will appear for sentencing at a later date.