A Shropshire man accused of grabbing a woman from behind before dragging her through undergrowth and raping her was spoken to by police 24 hours after the offence, a court heard.

Jamie Findlater is accused of raping a woman in her mid-20s in broad daylight walking home from work in Telford. The 19-year-old, of Doddington, Hollinswood, Telford, is also accused of robbery.

A jury at Shrewsbury Crown Court heard Constable William Watton, of Malinsgate police station, spoke to Findlater the day after the alleged incident.

He described the appearance of the man he interviewed that day as “dirty” and “grubby”.

The attack is alleged to have taken place in woods by a railway line close to the A442 in Randlay, Telford, on August 11, 2009.

Constable Tracey Carter, giving evidence, said part of her role in the case was to gather evidence of the incident.

Describing the injuries she noticed on the victim, she said: “I noticed she had a nasty scratch on her nose.

“There were black marks on her. She had a mark on her neck.

“I asked whether she had other injuries. She had what looked like indentations from an object on her back.”

In another interview with the victim, Constable Carter described to the court her reaction to the news that her attacker had not yet been arrested.

She said: “She looked very pale. Not crying, but tearful.”

The jury were also told that following the incident police carried out timings of possible routes the attacker took.

One of these included a route from the scene of the incident to an address in Doddington which police said took them 11 minutes and 42 seconds.

Earlier in the hearing, the court heard that the attacker took four £10 notes from the victim before casually giving her one back and telling her not to tell anyone about what had happened.

The attack sparked a massive police manhunt for the attacker, who was dubbed the “Randlay Rapist”.

The trial continues.

By James Pugh