A MAN raped a teenage girl after inviting her back to his flat to smoke cannabis, a court has been told.

Paul Lee, 40, of Station Road, Darlington, bought a bottle of wine from a nearby shop for the complainant who alleges she was pushed and dragged by her shoulder before being attacked on a bed.

The teenager said she had been scared and kicked him, while screaming “Get off”.

She later complained to police, telling officers: “That man grabbed me and had sex with me and I didn’t want to.”

She also said she had been “about a seven” on a scale of one to ten in terms of drunkenness, having already been drinking with friends.

Prosecuting at Teesside Crown Court, Andrew Espley said: “The sex was without her consent, there had been no talk of sex before it happened, nothing happened for him to think she would want sex with him and he would have known, in her view, that she didn’t consent.”

The court heard how Mr Lee was described by the teenager when interviewed as “being on something” and “out of it”.

Following the incident he is said to have followed the girl to North Lodge Park and claimed not to have remembered what happened.

Mr Lee was arrested on February 24 this year by police on suspicion of rape and made no comment when cautioned.

His clothing and shoes were also seized as part of the investigation.

The jury was told that the alleged victim’s evidence will come via a pre-recorded interview and she will also appear via a video link.

Mr Lee denies rape and his trial, which is expected to last up to three days, continues.