Woman was raped after date in Telford made on Facebook, court told
A woman was raped by a man she met on Facebook during their first date, Shrewsbury Crown Court was told.
Robert Ross, 53, denies two charges of rape and an alternative charge of sexual assault.
He claims that he never had sex with the woman and fell asleep – only to wake later on with a police officer standing over him.
Mr Nicholas Tatlow, prosecuting, told the jury that the incident happened in April 2013.
He said Ross had asked to befriend the woman on the social media site, Facebook, and she had accepted after speaking to someone who knew him.
They exchanged messages and texts and arranged to meet in Telford. The woman said he could stay the night in her flat, Mr Tatlow said.
"She liked him, was looking forward to meeting him, but had stressed that she did not want to have sex on their first meeting," he said.
The jury was told claims that, when they returned from the pub to the house, Ross was making unwanted advances and later that night raped the woman.
Unable to contact relatives on the telephone she contacted police.
In police interviews Ross, of Wilfred Road, West Bromwich, said that he had cuddled up to the woman but when she made it plain she did not want to go further he went to sleep.
"I woke up to find a policeman standing over me," he told police.
The trial continues.
