A 21-year-old man is standing trial at court, accused of raping a stranger as she made her way home from a night out in a Derbyshire town.
The Alleged Attack
Connor Evans, who was 19 at the time of the alleged incident, is charged with a single count of rape. The prosecution told the court that the defendant kept the victim's underwear as 'some kind of trophy'.
The alleged attack occurred on June 23, 2023, in Ilkeston. The court heard that the woman, a mother-of-three in her 30s, had been at the Harrow Pub in Market Place. She began walking back to her home in Sandiacre after running out of money and having no charge on her phone.
A Distressed Discovery
Approximately two hours after she left the pub, a local couple were woken by the sound of frantic banging on their front door and shouting. Upon opening the door, they discovered a distressed, crying, and incoherent woman.
Prosecutor Sean Brunton KC described how the woman, who was plainly under the influence of alcohol, ran into the house and hid behind a sofa. She was 'confused, scared, very upset' and begged the couple to call the police and an ambulance.
Amid the confusion, she managed to explain that she had been sexually interfered with by a young man who had started walking alongside her. Her account detailed finding herself lying on the ground with the defendant on top of her before she pushed him off and fled, banging on doors until she found help.
The Defence and Evidence
Evans, now 21, was arrested several days later. During a search of his address, the woman's missing underwear was discovered under a pillow in his bedroom.
In his police interview, Evans admitted that he and the woman had engaged in sexual activity. However, he denies the charge of rape, maintaining that the encounter was entirely consensual and was initiated by the woman herself.
The trial is ongoing and is expected to last for the remainder of the week.
