Telford rape accused walked near attack site, court told

A man accused of raping a woman in Telford admitted to police he regularly walked home close to where the attack happened, a court has heard.

Jamie Findlater is accused of grabbing a woman in broad daylight and raping her in woods near a railway line in Randlay on August 11, 2009.

Shrewsbury Crown Court today heard that police questioned Findlater because they believed he matched a description given by the victim.

In an interview read to the jury, Findlater told officers that in August 2009 he had been on a forklift truck driving course on Halesfield.

He said that each day he would walk home along a pathway and onto a train track close to where the offence took place. He claimed on the day of the attack, he remembered he had stuck to the train track and the following day he walked along the pathway and saw the police activity.

Findlater told police he then altered his route because he was worried that if police remained in the area he would get into trouble for walking on the track.

The police interview also revealed that officers seized some clothing on a visit to Findlater's home and he had claimed he had thrown away a pair of trainers and a pair of jogging bottoms which he ripped when he fell off his bike.

Jurors have heard the victim, who is in her mid-20s, was grabbed from behind on a path near the A442 between 5pm and 5.20pm on August 11, 2009 and raped by a man in the bushes.

The attack sparked a police manhunt for the attacker, dubbed "The Randlay Rapist".

Findlater, 19, of Doddington, Hollinswood, Telford, denies three charges of rape and one charge of robbery.

The trial continues.