Accrington woman was 'raped after celebratory meal'

12:36pm Wednesday 14th May 2008

A WOMAN was raped at a house in Accrington after a celebratory meal out, a jury was told.

Burnley Crown Court heard how the alleged victim arrived back at the house she shared with her fiance at around 5am and burst into tears.

Her partner, who cannot be named to protect her identity, told the hearing his girlfriend was "incredibly upset" and was shaking.

She told him: "I have just been raped."

The fiance told the court she told him a man named Shaun had done it after she began talking to him in a pub in Accrington town centre after the meal.

Shaun Coulson, 39, of Jacob Street, Accrington, has pleaded not guilty to rape following the alleged incident last September .

Questioned by prosecutor Robert Elias, the fiance said he was in bed when his partner arrived home and woke him up.

She just seemed to stand still where she was and he could hear her crying, he said.

He said :"I asked her what was wrong. I assumed she had had an argument or something."

He said she was shaking and told him she had been raped.

The witness, who described his fiancee as "very inebriated" that night added that when she had calmed down he asked her to explain what had happened.

He said : "She said she had fallen asleep on a bed fully clothed and the next thing she woke up, her trousers and underwear had been removed and the man named Shaun was on top of her.

She wouldn't stop shaking or crying. I just tried to calm her down."

The fiance, who said he had to go to work that morning, told the court he laid his partner on her side of the bed, put a blanket over her and left her to fall to sleep.

Asked by Mr Elias how he felt about what was said to have happened, the fiance answered: "Very angry and very shocked. I was disgusted by it."

A taxi driver who picked the alleged victim up from the house in Accrington at about 4.15am, said a lone female got into his cab, was crying uncontrollably and was dishevelled.

In a statement, he said :"She did not stop crying during the course of the five minute journey."

The jury was told when Coulson was arrested by police he was questioned twice, refused to answer questions put to him but gave two prepared statements.

(proceeding)