Woman 'distraught' over alleged rape by BGT singer

Andrew Johnston, 30, denies raping two women

A woman who accused a former Britain's Got Talent contestant of rape has said she was distraught and it took her months to process what happened, a court has heard.

Andrew Johnston, from Carlisle, competed as a singer on the TV talent show in 2008 and is on trial at Southwark Crown Court charged with two counts of rape and one count of sexual assault.

Giving evidence from behind a screen, the woman said: "I think I was not in a place to look back and examine the entirety of events that night."

Mr Johnston, 30, of Newton Road, denies all charges relating to two women and the trial continues.

The woman had said she was having consensual sex with Mr Johnston and asked him to use a condom.

In her police interview, she said she moved his hands away as he was "actively grabbing" towards her throat and she was "trying to insinuate that this is not OK".

At some point he stopped and removed the condom, and carried on having sex, the court heard.

'I said slow down'

In her police interview the woman said: "I think I said, 'that was not great, I'm not happy about this', and he said, 'it would be better for me'.

"At that stage I just remember being shaken."

She told the court: "If I make it a blip, I do not have to deal with the enormity of this process, of my belief system that non-consensual sex is something that needs to be addressed.

"If I rationalise it as a blip, then the next few years of my life would be easier."

She accepted she did not push Johnston away or tell him to stop.

"I said slow down, (was) giving physical clues to (him), being more gentle and saying 'slow down' but it did not happen," she said.

Her flatmate, who had heard sounds, told her afterwards: "That was really aggressive, is everything OK?"

Mr Johnston stayed the night and watched a show on a laptop with the woman.

She told the court she did not think she was "assertive enough" to tell her alleged attacker to leave.

The trial continues.