An alleged rapist who swore on a “holy picture” that he did not touch his accuser later told police that they had consensual sex and that she was the instigator.

Gurpreet Singh, 28, of Missenden Gardens in Burnham, has denied one charge of rape which is alleged to have taken place in Amersham on February 25, 2018.

At a trial that began at Aylesbury Crown Court yesterday (Tuesday), the court heard how Singh is accused of raping a woman in her 20s.

After the jury was selected, prosecutor Terence Woods outlined the case against Singh. He told the court how on the night of the alleged offence, Singh and the complainant were sharing a bed when he sexually touched and then raped her.

Mr Woods told the court that when Singh’s family found out about the allegations, they made him swear on a holy picture that he did not sexually touch the complainant – which he did.

The jury then heard from Mr Woods that during an interview with police after he had been arrested, he told officers that he had lied when he swore on the picture, saying instead that the pair had consensual sex and that his accuser, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was actually the instigator.

Mr Woods said: “When it stopped, she just froze. She was not even able to pull up her pyjama bottoms, she also says that he just went back to sleep.

“She was later to tell the police she felt like she was dead, she wanted to be dead.”

After introducing the prosecution’s case, Mr Woods showed the jury footage of a police interview with the alleged victim in April 2018.

In the interview, the complainant told officers that it felt “weird” that she and the complainant were sharing a bed at all, and became emotional when she described what happened and how it made her feel.

She said: “We were watching this film, just sitting in bed and he was talking about his girlfriend and how great she was.

“When I wake up, I feel his hand under my top and he was touching me, I was uncomfortable and in shock. I felt really sick.

"I didn’t move, I thought I was dead. I wanted to be dead.”

Gurpreet Singh is on trial charged with one count of rape. He has pleaded not guilty to the charge.

The trial continues, and is expected to last for four or five days. The jury will soon hear from the defendant and his barrister, Michael Newport.

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