Diego Lioce, 26, claimed the woman said she wanted to be dominated when they went back to his flat after a night out

An Ikea worker accused of slapping and raping a young woman was cleared today after he told the court he thought he was satisfying her S&M fantasies.

Diego Lioce, 26, claimed the woman said she wanted to be dominated when they went back to his flat in Willesden, North West London, after a night out.

The alleged victim admitted telling the Italian about her sexual preferences but claimed she tried to leave after becoming concerned about his aggressive behaviour.

Jurors at the Old Bailey in London deliberated for more than a day before acquitting Lioce of two charges of rape and two of assault by penetration.

Lioce buried his head in his hands and wept as judge Paul Dodgson discharged him from the dock.

During the trial the alleged victim told the court she agreed to go back to Lioce's flat after meeting him at a bar in Soho in June 2015.

Giving evidence, Lioce explained how the alleged victim told him she liked to be 'dominated'.

He said: 'She said she really loved to be f***ed. I asked her what do you mean, do you like being slapped? She said she liked to be slapped.

The alleged victim told the court she agreed to go back to Lioce's flat on this road (pictured) in Willesden, North West London, after meeting him at a bar in Soho in June 2015

'She was telling me about her last boyfriend. She said he was good on sex but not dominating her and f***ing her as she wanted to. I was so excited.'

Lioce said he kissed her and touched her breasts on the tube back to his home in Willesden, until she told him 'wait, we will do it later.'

He added: 'We were both in a sexual mood, we were excited. We were talking about having sex all night but she said she wanted to take the last Tube home because she didn't have her contact lenses.'

Lioce said that when they got to his flat he told her about his fantasy of having a sex act performed on the stairs, to which she replied: 'We will see.'

The alleged victim admitted telling Italian Lioce (pictured) about her sexual preferences

They then started kissing on the sofa until she went to the toilet. Lioce admitted he then pulled down his trousers and walked into the bathroom unannounced.

He claimed she then performed a sex act on him willingly before they returned to the sofa. 'At that point we removed her shorts and we were kissing,' he said.

'We started to have sex. I remember slapping her during the penetration.'

Asked why he slapped her during sex, Lioce replied: 'Because she said she loved to be slapped and f***ed and I thought I was making like her fantasies.'

He said that she then told her she was 'feeling uncomfortable and wanted to go home.'

Lioce said he thought she was worried his flatmates might come back and suggested they move into the bedroom.

He said they continued kissing on the bed before he pushed her back, adding: 'We started to have sex again.'

Lioce said it only lasted 20 seconds and denied telling her to 'shut the f*** up'.

Lioce, who has been cleared of rape and assault by penetration, worked at Ikea (file picture)

He said the sex stopped when his penis started bleeding due to a medical condition. 'She started to dress up and said she wanted to go home.'

Lioce insisted that if she had told him to 'stop' at any time 'we would not carry on.'

After she left the flat, Lioce sent her an abusive text message calling her a 'b***h' and accusing her of sleeping with other men.

The woman claimed she began having reservations during the Tube journey after he aggressively groped her and made comments in front of other passengers.

She said that after they arrived at his flat she went to the bathroom only for Lioce to barge in and force her to perform a sex act.

The woman also claimed that she tried to leave but he pinned her to his bed, raped her, slapped her face and told her: 'Shut up b***h'.

Lioce denied two counts of rape and two counts of assault by penetration and was found not guilty of all charges.