A BEST man at a wedding who lured a lesbian woman guest to his luxury hotel room and raped her on the four poster bed has been jailed for six years.

Michael Hughes, 23, had told the woman he wanted to show her how 'lush' his room was at the Clearwell Castle wedding venue.

But when he got her into the room he locked the door behind her, pushed her back onto the bed and pulled off her tights and knickers before forcing himself on her, Gloucester Crown Court heard.

The woman, who has life-limiting health problems and was described as 'vulnerable', had been devastated by the attack, the court was told.

Hughes, who had been taking cocaine and had earlier 'flunked' his speech at the wedding reception, went on to make unwelcome sexual advances to another woman at the party shortly after the rape.

Jailing Hughes, of Bowling Green Crescent, Cirencester, Judge

Jamie Tabor QC told him: "What you did that night was despicable. I have no doubt that drink disinhibited you to an extent.

"And I am as certain as I can be that cocaine fuelled your arrogance. "

The judge said the rape had been "every bit as serious as the man who pulls women off the street and has intercourse with them."

Hughes had denied rape on March 17 last year and claimed that the woman willingly had sex with him.

But after he was convicted by a jury of eight women and four men, the court heard that there had been other sexual incidents in his past.

A week before the rape he had demanded sex from a girl he met during the groom's stag night, said prosecutor Sarah Regan.

Miss Regan said that in 2005 Hughes was arrested for an alleged offence of sexual assault by penetration during a house party.

The judge ordered him to sign the Sex Offenders' Register for life.