Alex Hepburn: Convicted rapist allowed to play for Willetton Premier Cricket Club despite 10-year UK ban

Cricketer Alex Hepburn has been given the green light to play in Australia despite his ban from the sport in England and Wales for raping a sleeping woman.

The West Australian Cricket Association confirmed that Hepburn will continue playing in the WA league for the Willetton Dragons, just days after his ban.

The professional sportsman, 28, who played in the UK for Worcestershire, was imprisoned in 2019 after committing the rape after setting up a group chat for a 'sexual conquest contest'.

Following an appeal in 2020 his conviction for the attack inside a flat in Worcester was upheld, but he was released in 2021.

This year, Hepburn was charged by the Cricket Regulator with two breaches of the 2017 England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) Directives.

In September, the independent Cricket Discipline Commission decided to hand Hepburn a ten-year ban after he failed to respond to the breaches.

The rapist will also have to undergo 'appropriate professional treatment' relating to the events which had him convicted.