A MAN accused of raping a stranger he met in a nightclub told detectives that the woman instigated sex with him – but he stopped when "it didn't feel right".

Darlington club doorman Abderrfi Bahja denied his accuser was drunk and he took advantage of her state when she was unable to giver proper consent in his car.

The 45-year-old admitted he had been "stupid" but said he came to his senses and stopped because he did not have any contraception and did not know the woman.

On the third day of his trial at Teesside Crown Court, the defence case started, and Mr Bahja was in the witness box answering questions from his barrister.

Christine Egerton, defending, asked him if he had any plans for the night, if he had hoped to have sex or pick someone up. He answered "no, not at all" to all three.

The accuser says she has no memory of the later part of the night – after she had been to the races with friends and drinking in Darlington town centre.

She told a jury that she thought her drink may have been spiked with drugs, because the following morning she felt strange and only "a vague snapshot of memory".

Earlier, the jury of seven men and five women heard from an expert witness, Dr Fiona Perry, who examined urine samples for alcohol and drugs.

Dr Perry said neither of two tests showed any drugs, but she was able to make a back-calculation to give an idea of how intoxicated the woman was.

She told the jury that at the time of the alleged sex attack, the married mother would have been almost three times the legal limit for driving.

"I would expect the average social drinker to be experiencing some or all of the following symptoms - slurring speech, drowsiness, confusion, some disorientation, exaggerated emotional states, a significant impairment of co-ordination and possible nausea or vomiting. There may also be a reduction in inhibitions and judgement."

The prosecution case is that Mr Bahja targeted a drunk and lone woman in Harvey's in Houndgate, Darlington, in the early hours of May 9 last year.

Morocco-born delivery driver Mr Bahja, a married dad-of-one, of Shelley Road, Darlington, denies a charge of rape, and the case is expected to continue tomorrow (Thurs, June 23).

He told police in an interview that another reason for stopping sex was that the complainant had damp trousers – either from a spilled drink or wetting herself.