An Australian born cricketer who believed he was “God’s gift to women” has lost his appeal to overturn his rape conviction. Alex Hepburn was convicted of rape and was jailed for five years last April. The Worcestershire allrounder was engaged in a stat game with a fellow teammate on a WhatsApp chat, with the goal of sleeping with as many people as possible. Hepburn was jailed for an attack on a young woman in his flat.

The judge at sentencing last year told the Australian, “You thought you were God’s gift to women. You did see her at that moment as a piece of meat, not a woman entitled to respect.”

The Australian born cricketer challenged the conviction in the Court of Appeal. In a blow to Hepburn, the judgement handed down by three senior judges confirmed the findings from the original trial. Lord Chief Justice Lord Burnett finding “the conviction is not unsafe.”

The defence for Hepburn argued in the appeals process that the WhatsApp messages about the sex game should not have been mentioned during the original rape trial. David Emanuel, the lawyer for Hepburn told the judges that chat messages should not have been allowed.