A woman who claims she was raped more than a decade ago by a Felixstowe man reported the alleged attack to the police after she saw a newspaper article about him appearing in court for sex offences relating to two teenage girls, a court has heard.

The alleged victim, who was 16 at the time of the alleged rape in 2006, felt guilty because she thought she could have prevented the other offences from happening if she had reported what James Heathcote had allegedly done to her at the time, Ipswich Crown Court was told.

In a statement read to the court the partner of the alleged rape victim said she had sent him a copy of a newspaper article in 2015 about James Heathcote appearing in court in connection with sex offences relating to two teenage girls.

Joanne Eley, prosecuting, said in February 2015 Heathcote had admitted two offences of causing or inciting two 16-year-old girls to engage in sexual activity

Heathcote, 29, who was living in Parkeston Road, Felixstowe, at the time of the alleged offence in 2006 has denied rape.

Giving evidence Heathcote told the court his father Philip Heathcote was killed in a terrorist shooting massacre in Tunisia in June 2015.

He denied knowing the alleged victim of the rape and denied raping her.

The court has heard that the 16-year-old went to Heathcote’s home in Parkeston Road to watch a horror movie and was sitting on his bed when he allegedly started trying to undress her.

She told him: “I don’t want to do anything like that.” She repeated this several times but Heathcote allegedly tried to unbutton her top.

Heathcote had allegedly persisted in the same way for about 20 minutes until she allegedly stopped fighting back.

“He laid her back on the bed and knowing what was going to happen she felt paralysed with fear. She just felt she couldn’t move or speak,” said Miss Eley.

Heathcote allegedly pulled off her jeans and underwear and had sex with her.

She didn’t make a complaint at the time because she was worried people might think what happened was her fault for putting herself in that situation.

The trial continues.