A Suffolk woman who claims she was raped at knifepoint by a man who kept her prisoner for five hours has denied that she could have used her phone to call someone at any time during her alleged ordeal.

Giving evidence at Ipswich Crown Court, the woman said Michael Halford had taken her mobile phone out of the bedroom where the alleged rape took place and she hadn’t had access to it.

She said she had been unable to leave the house as Halford had all the keys in his pocket and she denied a suggestion by defence barrister Isobel Ascherson that she was lying.

She also denied an injury to her ear was caused by her earring being pulled out during sex and claimed it was caused when the knife being held by Halford clipped her ear, causing the earring to come out.

Halford, 33, who was living in Haverhill, has denied raping the woman, falsely imprisoning her and assaulting her, causing her actual bodily harm.

The court heard Halford, who’d met the woman on a dating app, allegedly became upset when she didn’t want to have sex with him.

He’d then allegedly asked for cash to buy cocaine but she had refused.

Halford had then allegedly walked into the bedroom holding a knife and held it close to her face.

During the next few hours he allegedly manhandled her, causing bruises on her arm, thigh and chest and a small cut on her ear.

At one stage Halford had allegedly ordered her to take of her clothes while threatening her with the knife and had sex with her.

They had fallen asleep at 4am and when the woman woke up at 7am she saw a key in the kitchen door and ran for help to a neighbour’s house.

The court heard that the neighbour described the woman as being “quivering and hysterical” and saying that she’d been raped at knifepoint.

Halford told police he’d met the woman on a dating app and they had consensual sex.

He denied threatening her with a knife and said she’d been free to leave the house at any time.

He claimed she had left the house after an argument.

The trial continues.