Police are investigating reports that the woman raped by footballer Ched Evans was being named and abused online.

It follows a complaint to North Wales Police by a leading rape charity which said the alleged comments on Twitter were "profoundly disturbing".

Sheffield United and Wales striker Evans, 23, was jailed for five years at Caernarfon Crown Court on Friday after being found guilty of raping the woman who was "too drunk to consent".

A spokeswoman for North Wales Police said tonight: "We are aware of some comments made on social media sites and we are collating all relevant information."

Rape and other sexual assault victims are guaranteed the legal right to lifetime anonymity.

But victims' groups fear the current criminal justice rules could be inadequate to guarantee anonymity in the age of social media.

And the latest revelations would add credence to the argument that the law needs updating to prevent victims being identified on the internet.

Holly Dustin, director of the End Violence Against Women coalition, and Rape Crisis England and Wales, said: "It is profoundly disturbing that the victim in the Ched Evans trial has been named and abused on Twitter and other social media sites.

"It has long been law that rape complainants are protected by lifetime anonymity and those who have named her have been reported to the police for committing a criminal offence.

"This raises serious questions about the adequacy of the criminal justice system to deal with offences that occur online and we are calling for an urgent review of laws and practices."

Evans admitted having sex with the victim, then aged 19, at a hotel in north Wales last May.

In her evidence, the woman said she has no memory of the incident and the prosecution argued she was too drunk to consent to sexual intercourse.

Evans' co-accused, Port Vale defender Clayton McDonald, 23, who also admitted having sex with the victim, was found not guilty.

Ms Dustin added: "We want to see football clubs and the Football Association take a strong stance against sexism in the sport.

"We also want the Government to take concerted action to address attitudes that condone violence.

"This must include ongoing public campaigns to challenge rape myths, work with young people in schools as well as action to tackle sexism online and in our daily newspapers.

"We cannot afford to shrug our shoulders any longer and hope that this problem will go away."

Has any explanation been given as to why this case has taken so long to come to court? I'm think the offence took place about a year ago yet Evans has been allowed to play almost a full season of football before appearing in the dock. Have the delays been down to the crown prosecution service or has Evans simply been exploiting loopholes to drag thinks out so the case doesn't interfere with his football career?

How many victims of rape will report the incident to the police if they know the case will take a year to be heard and when it is heard they could possibly be identified on the Internet?

Mr Philpotts accused Evans of leaving the hotel through an emergency exit, adding: “You left through that exit because you knew what you had done.”

“No,” Evans replied.

“And you didn’t want to be seen going through reception.”

“No,” Evans said again.

Mr Philpotts asked: “What was the hurry to leave?”

Evans said: “Because I didn’t want to be in the room in case my girlfriend rang me.”

The court heard that McDonald met the woman and took her back to the room to have sex with her.

He then sent a text to Evans to say he had “got a bird” and was joined by Evans shortly afterwards.

Both men admit having sex with the woman but say it was consensual.

Evans told the court that he wanted to go back to the room and tell McDonald that one of their friends had been arrested and to see if he knew the girl, as he was a “local lad”.

He admitted “deceiving” the receptionist to get the key card to the room and then letting himself in and seeing McDonald having sex with the girl.

He said they realised he was there when the door “made a clunking noise” behind him.

Evans told the court he watched them having sex for about “10/20 seconds” and then McDonald “asked” if his mate could “get involved”.

“Then she looked at me and said yes,” Evans said.

The footballer then said he carried on watching “for a minute or two” before McDonald got up to close the bedroom curtains, as there was “giggling” coming from the window, where Evans’ brother and a friend were trying to watch from.

Evans said that when McDonald got up the girl asked him to perform oral sex on her, which he did.

He said: “I performed oral sex on her for maybe two or three minutes and then she turned over on all fours and then asked to be f***** basically”.

He said the girl asked him to “f*** her harder”.

“They were the words she was using,” he said.

Mr Philpotts then asked the footballer why he chose to leave the hotel room which he had paid £99 for and walk home.

Evans said it was because the room had not been booked for him.

He said it was “never his intention” to go and “get a girl” that night.

He also said he did not recognise the alleged victim from a bar earlier in the night when she was seen to fall over.

CCTV was played to the court of Evans appearing to look at the girl as she lay on the floor.

But he said he was “looking at her legs” and not her face.

He said he could not remember making a call to McDonald after receiving his text about him “getting a bird” and then also claimed he could not remember the taxi journey to the hotel - a taxi he shared with his brother and a friend.

Mr Philpotts then asked Evans why he did not knock on the hotel door if he knew his friend was in there with a girl.

Evans said: “Because I had a key card. I wasn’t to know what he was doing.”

Mr Philpotts replied: “I don’t want to be facetious but they would not have been playing Scrabble, would they? Did you really not know what they would be doing?”

Evans said: “No.”

Fact: Someone doesn't have to say the word NO to withhold permission. There are lots of ways they might say they don't want to have sex. Many people find it hard to say anything, and will show through their body language that they don't want to.

Consent to one sort of sexual activity does not mean you are getting consent to everything. Permission is required for each activity.
Consent may be withdrawn at any time. If your partner changes their mind, it's their right to do so.
Even if you have had sex with someone before, you still need permission the next time.
Giving oral sex to someone without permission is rape.
If you do not get consent – it's rape.