of a woman as she made her way home in Southampton last October.

The 35-year-old Warwick man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, is accused of attacking the woman near to Heron's Nest Drive at about 3 a.m.

He denies the charge.

Prosecutor Vinette Graham-Allen told the court that the 29-year-old victim had been out with a friend from work and was riding home in a taxi on the night in question.

Her friend was taken home first, but then the cab driver asked the alleged victim to get out when they were near to PHC on Middle Road in Warwick after she started to eat in his vehicle.

The jury heard the prosecutor claim that the accused was in the vicinity of the club when he saw the victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons, arguing with the taxi driver.

Ms Graham-Allen told the court that the defendant then went across to talk to the cab driver and to offer the woman help.

Just moments later, she said, the victim began to walk home and was approached by a man on a bike who offered her a lift as she made her way along Middle Road.

The woman got on board the bike and the two began to head in the direction of her Southampton home. However, the court heard that when he failed to comply with her directions, and headed down Riddell's Bay Road instead, the woman became concerned and jumped off the bike.

But as she began walking the rest of the way home, she was then grabbed from behind and pulled into a secluded area near to Kingdom Hall Jehovah's Witness Church on Middle Road. There, she was seriously sexually assaulted.

Ms. Graham-Allen said the woman was left "dishevelled, shaken, and traumatised''. Again, she attempted to make her way home when she was spotted by a man in a car.

He stopped to help and after identifying himself as an off-duty Police officer, the woman allowed him to take her home and the alarm was raised. She was then taken to King Edward VII Memorial Hospital for treatment.

The first witness to take the stand yesterday was a Police officer who claimed to have at first noticed the accused in the vicinity of PHC at about 2 a.m.

Pc Mick Redfern told the court that he and two other officers had seen the defendant standing by a scooter in the club's car park.

He said the scooter had a basket, which appeared to contain men's clothing, and the accused, who was wearing dark clothing and a backwards baseball cap, was rummaging through it.

Pc Redfern said he recognised the accused, and they had a conversation which lasted about ten minutes, and which included the defendant being asked if he was living out of the scooter.

But two hours later, Pc Redfern told the court he was at Somerset Police Station when he received a report of an alleged assault on a woman. He and two other officers then went to the victim's home.

The jury heard how Pc Redfern and another officer went from the woman's home to Heron's Nest Drive, where the crime is said to have occurred, at about 5 a.m..

After inspecting the area, Inspector Michael Desilva discovered a pair of ladies shoes and a baseball cap close together. Under cross-examination, from the accused's lawyer Elizabeth Christopher, Pc Redfern said he could not be sure if the cap found at the scene was the one the accused had been wearing earlier that evening.