A former Premier League footballer has been jailed for 16 years for raping a woman while she slept in Romford.

Nathan Ashton, 37, of no fixed address, carried out the attack in the early hours of February 19 2023, following a night out at a bar in Shoreditch.

Ashton, who played for England at youth level, was sentenced at Reading Crown Court on Tuesday, July 16.

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Det Sgt Ben Wallen, who led the investigation, said: "Our officers were meticulous in their investigation against Ashton and secured a great outcome as a result.

"The victim survivor is extremely brave reporting this to the police and we encourage all victims to come forward and speak with our specialist officers to help remove these prolific offenders off our streets."

After a night at the bar in Shoreditch, Ashton offered the woman and her friends a lift home.

Once at the address in Romford, Ashton decided to stay with the three women.

After they all decided to go to bed and fell asleep in different rooms, Ashton entered a woman's room and raped her.

The woman reported the attack to the police, who then launched their investigation.

When he was brought in to the police station for questioning, Ashton denied the rape had happened and insisted that the sex was consensual.

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The jury found otherwise.

Ashton is now a semi-professional footballer but once turned out for Fulham in the Premier League and came through the ranks at Charlton Athletic when they were a top flight club.

He had loan spells at Crystal Palace and Millwall in the mid-2000s.

The Metropolitan Police said it has a "new approach" to investigating rape - with a shift away from focusing on the credibility of the victim and instead looking at the suspect's life.

They are working in partnership with charities and criminal justice partners to ensure victim-survivors have the confidence to report these crimes.

Det Sgt Wallen said: "We remain dedicated in providing support to rape victims and protecting women and girls from predatory offenders, and I would encourage anyone who has been a victim to go to the police."