US banker Ed Sappin claims alleged sexual abuse victim willingly kissed him US investment banker chief executive has denied a charge of sexual assault But Ed Sappin admitted performing a sex act on the alleged victim The assault allegedly took place at the after party of a wedding last year Sappin is said to have committed the assault after carrying the victim to bed High-flying: Investment banker Ed Sappin denies on count of sexual assault A high-flying US investment banker accused of sexual assault admitted performing a sex act on his alleged victim today. But Ed Sappin continues to deny committing sexual assault, which is alleged to have taken place last October at a flat in Hampstead after a wedding. Giving evidence today at Blackfriars Crown Court in central London, Sappin claimed the woman 'put her head very directly in my lap which was rather surprising'. Sappin said: 'I thought it was very forward. She put her head basically right in my groin area, not just in my lap. I tried to get her up to bring her to the bedroom and let her rest. Sappin, who is chief executive of renewable energy firm Willowbrook Company, said he decided to sleep next to the woman, as the bed was large enough for them both. 'At some point a few minutes later we started kissing each other - I honestly can't remember who first,' he said. We were kissing each other for a few minutes. I started putting my hands on her body. With his mother and wife in the public gallery of the court, Sappin described how he started to perform a sex act over his alleged victim's clothing. He told the court she 'seemed to be enjoying it'. Sappin, 39, then said she 'suddenly from one moment to the next got extremely upset'. Sappin added: 'I honestly had no idea what was going on. I was just very shocked and at the same time I saw she was in distress and wanted to try and calm her down. I was very upset. Number one, that she was upset, number two, that I am a married man and I shouldn't have been in that room.' The police quickly attended after a neighbour was disturbed by the woman's screams, the court heard. 'I saw a police officer which was very surprising to me,' Sappin continued. 'I really was just surprised and didn't know exactly what was going on. I thought I had basically just ruined their (his friends') wedding weekend so I felt horrible.' Sappin said the whole encounter lasted around 20 minutes. Cross-examining the accused, Peter Nugent asked: 'You accept that during this 20-minute encounter you could not see whether her eyes were open or not?' 'Yes, that's true,' Sappin said. Allegation: US Investment banker Ed Sappin has gone on trial at Blackfriars Crown Court in central London Sappin, who lives in Brooklyn, New York, made his name as a finance expert holding senior posts in several Fortune 50 companies in the US. He is known as an 'impact-oriented leader' in business circles, and lives with his wife Yanhua and son Nathaniel. He describes himself as an 'innovation junkie' and is a former director at BP Solar. The court heard the alleged victim also travelled from the United States for the wedding on Saturday, October 20 of last year. Zennon Kapron, another American guest who had attended the after-party, gave evidence and was asked if he had noticed any particular vibe between the alleged victim and Sappin by prosecutor Peter Nugent. 'I wasn't particularly looking for it but no, I didn't,' Mr Kapron replied. After the woman fell asleep, Sappin volunteered to carry her to a spare bedroom, the court heard 'What did you hear coming from the bedroom?,' Mr Nugent asked. Mr Kapron said he had heard voices, which 'turned to screams as (the alleged victim) came out of the bedroom and down the hall'. 'From what I can recall she said "call the police, get me out of here, get me away from him,"' Mr Kapron added. The victim then noticed an item of her underwear in the hallway, the court heard. The woman screamed 'what is that, what is that?' before trying to hide in a cupboard, Mr Kapron said. At some point, Sappin emerged from the bedroom, telling the woman, 'I'm sorry'. Mr Kapron said: 'It was clear that him being close to her wasn't helping, so I told him to wait out back.' The woman seemed 'agitated' by any males approaching her, the witness said, while Sappin looked 'shocked and apologetic'. Michelle Zellers, another American party-goer, said: 'She kept asking where her Spanx were'. Mr Nugent asked: 'She was unable to talk through what had happened to her?' Ms Zellers replied: 'Yes. She was pretty hysterical. 'She kept saying, "I don't get it, he's married, everyone likes him?"' Miss Eleanor Laws, defence counsel, asked in cross-examination. 'Yes,' replied Ms Zellers. The court also heard a statement from Alexander Brown, a neighbour who alerted police after being woken by the stir. 'I head the female screaming "I can't get out, please help me, please stop,"' the statement read. In an interview under caution given the same night, Sappin maintained the woman had consented. 'After a couple of minutes we started kissing which she seemed to like,' he told police. She seemed to want to have sex. Suddenly the woman began to scream and ran out of the room, leaving Sappin 'very surprised,' the court heard. 'I apologised immediately and stopped,' Sappin said.