A 34-year-old man has gone on trial accused of raping a woman he met at a pub.

John Hutton, of Old Rectory Close, Barham, denies the charge following the alleged incident in 2021.

On Monday, prosecutor Gareth Hughes told the court the defendant raped the woman after he walked her back home from a Suffolk pub where he had met her and her friends on a night out.

She felt like she could not move any of her body when it happened, Mr Hughes said.

The court heard Hutton met the woman in the beer garden of The Fox in Elmswell on July 7 2021 and the woman had been drinking cocktails. 

She started talking to Hutton and later asked him and his friend to join her with her three friends at their table.

Eventually one of her friends wanted to leave and was dropped home by another of the group.

The friend returned to the pub and said she saw the defendant and the woman in car park kissing.  

After speaking to the woman the friends parted ways.

The court heard of an exchange of messages between the woman and her friend including one the next morning saying "no something bad has happened”.

The woman was found by her son with injuries.

The prosecutor said the victim’s daughter was there when the pair arrived back home.

After putting her mum to bed, the daughter left her with the defendant and it is then the alleged rape occured, said the prosecution.

The court heard, the woman remembered being in her bed with Hutton speaking to her, but she unsure if she replied “I can’t move” or only thought it. 

A medical investigation found bruising on her wrist, arm, right lower leg, toes, hip and abrasions above her belly button but no bruising in the genital area.

Tests carried out also found DNA that matched the defendant.

A urine sample found traces of cocaine, with the court hearing the woman saying she did not knowingly take the drug.

The morning after the incident, the woman's sister reached out to Hutton after she saw missed calls from him on her sister’s phone.

The message said: “Hello John, I was wondering if you could shed some light on what happened?

He then blocked the sister and the victim.

Hutton later unblocked the woman to ask if she was ok, the court heard.

During police interview, the defendant said he could not say what happened after the pub as he had been "really drunk".

He said he was absolutely baffled by the allegation and said it was "absolutely ludicrous" to be accused of rape.

He also denied giving the woman any illicit drugs.