AN ALLEGED rapist told his victim that he “still respected her” after he abused her as she slept, a jury was told.

The woman had been on a night out in Basingstoke with Joshua Ayeh-Amanor and the following day on October 13, 2019, she said she woke to find him on top of her.

Ayeh-Amanor’s trial started today at Winchester Crown Court with prosecutor Nicholas Tucker telling jurors that the defendant had insisted that the victim should sleep in his room.

The pair had been at Plush Lounge Bar on October 12 but decided to take a taxi home together as the woman was staying with her friend who was Ayeh-Amanor’s landlady.

Mr Tucker said: “The defendant insisted that she should come to stay in his room, (the woman) was unsure about that…thinking if she went downstairs and slept on the sofa he would come downstairs and pester her in any event.”

The woman agreed but fell asleep quickly, the next morning she woke to allegedly find the 39-year-old on top of her.

In a video interview, the victim said: “I woke up in the morning to him on top of me and my pyjama bottoms and my knickers weren’t on.

“I kinda raised my arms as to say what are you doing, he pushed my arms back and said just relax.”

She said that she “got louder and said get off me”, adding: “He was obviously conscious of my friends being next door and he did get off.”

The woman said that she grabbed her clothes and went downstairs, texting her friend to come downstairs and told her what happened.

Ayeh-Amanor was “hovering about” and later in the morning, Mr Tucker told the jury, the defendant “put his hand on her waist and told her that he still respected her”.

In the days following Ayeh-Amanor texted and rang the woman numerous times, but the victim had blocked him.

The jury were told that the woman made arrangements to go to a sexual health clinic. She did not go to the police until November 21.

Ayeh-Amanor, of Nelson Road, Edmonton Green, London, was interviewed by police on March 10, last year. Mr Tucker said: “He commented that on the night in question (the woman) had initiated sex and it had been consensual.”

Mr Tucker told the jury: “It will come down to a question of consent."

The trial continues.