Rape-accused student 'held victim down like ragdoll'

Alistair Cooke is on trial at Durham Crown Court

A student accused of raping a drunken undergraduate laughed as he held her down "like a ragdoll" and attacked her, a court has heard.

Alistair Cooke, 22, who studied geography at Durham University, is alleged to have followed the woman home from a house party in June last year.

The third year student, from Perranarworthal, Truro, Cornwall, denies three counts of rape.

Durham Crown Court was told his accuser consented to sex.

The woman said she remembered Mr Cooke had his hands on her chest and that "he was laughing at me, he was hurting me, he was raping me".

She said: "I remember waking up and seeing him opening up a condom packet, I tried to sit up but he pushed me down like a ragdoll.

'Story of regret'

"I could not even stop this happening in my own house. I blamed myself so much, maybe if I had not drunk so much I could have stopped it."

During cross examination, defence barrister Cathy McCulloch told the woman: "You did participate in sex willingly and now you are just regretting it and this is a story of regret not rape.

"He sat next to you on the bed. You leaned up and started to kiss him as you had done at the party."

Ms McCulloch asked the woman why she did not go straight to the police and accused her of waiting six days so they would not have been able to test how much alcohol she had in her system.

The court has previously heard Mr Cooke was a volunteer with the Nightline student listening service and during his training he role-played being accused of raping a drunken woman after following her home.

The trial continues.