A RAPIST'S "absurd" bid to appeal his conviction has been rejected by high court judges.

Sultan Mohammed had denied raping the woman at Essex University but was convicted following a trial and jailed for eight years.

But the 26-year-old has made an application for leave to appeal his conviction in March.

Lawyers representing him argued that the jury should have been told more about the complainant's sexual history.

Lord Justice Fulford backed trial judge David Pugh's decision not to have the details disclosed to the jury.

During Mohammed's original trial, Ipswich Crown Court heard he was on the Colchester campus in the early hours of the morning and managed to gain access to a block of flats via an insecure door.

He then got into a room, stripped naked and raped the victim as she slept.

When she challenged him, Mohammed said his name was Michael and claimed they had met at a nightclub.

He left the area but was caught on CCTV trying other windows and doors across campus.

Police later discovered a hand print on a window before searching his address in Almond Way, Colchester.

Lord Fulford said: "The CCTV evidence gave a period of ten minutes for any interaction between the applicant and the complainant.

"The suggestion that within this short period she initiated sexual contact, consented to sex and then forgot whether she consented or not is absurd.

"The assertion that the complainant was drunk was a late contention, inconsistent with the applicant's defence and was no more than speculation.

"In the circumstances, this renewed application for leave to appeal against conviction is refused."

Mohammed, who has an international business management degree but was not an Essex University student at the time, was also handed a restraining order by Judge Pugh and a ban from the campus on top of his jail sentence.

The case led to a review of security at all the university’s accommodation blocks and extra CCTV cameras being installed.

At the end of the trial, the victim said the ordeal had left her emotionally distant, anxious and so frequently sad she had sought therapy.

Police described Mohammed as a predator and praised the victim's bravery.