Bishop's Stortford restaurant worker guilty of Christmas party rape

Erdal Eryimaz attacked the victim in the bathroom of Skew, a Turkish restaurant in Bishops Stortford

A restaurant worker has been remanded in custody after a jury convicted him of raping a woman who had been on her work Christmas party.

Erdal Eryimaz, 40, followed the victim to the bathroom at Skew, a Turkish restaurant in Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire, where he attacked her.

The victim, who cannot be identified, told St Albans Crown Court that Eryimaz pinned her against a wall in the assault in December.

He will be sentenced on 20 July.

The court heard the woman told a 999 call handler that she "got thrown into the toilet by a guy who works in Skew and he had sex with me and I didn't want him to".

Eryimaz, of Archers Place, Bishop's Stortford, was arrested on Station Road in the town on the night of the attack while carrying a large suitcase and two bags.At Stevenage police station, he told officers: "She was drunk. I was drunk. She had sex with me."

Eryimaz, who was of previous good character, denied raping the woman and said it was "consensual sex".