A DOORMAN has gone on trial accused of raping a woman he met in a Darlington nightclub.

The prosecution say Abderrfi Bahja raped the married woman in his car in the early hours of May 9 last year as she was too drunk to properly give her consent to sex.

The jury in the trial at Teesside Crown Court are expected to be shown CCTV footage of the pair together in Harveys, in Houndgate, Darlington.

Prosecutor Jo Kidd said the alleged victim had been at a racecourse meeting with friends before coming into Darlington for a meal and drinks.

Ms Kidd said the woman had drunk a significant amount and Mr Bahja, a doorman at another venue in the town, was “stone cold sober”.

She suggested the defendant had targeted women who were alone or unattached and intoxicated.

Ms Kidd said Mr Bahja had made a “beeline” for the woman while she was stood at the bar.

She said: “He quickly becomes physical with her, trying to engage her in conversation. He kisses her shoulder and tries to pull her to the dancefloor.”

After being seen kissing each other and dancing, they left the nightclub and got into Mr Bahja’s car which was parked nearby.

After a short car journey, he stopped the vehicle and is said to have raped the complainant in the front seat.

Ms Kidd said: “The Crown’s case is that he took advantage of her and that he did not know whether she was consenting.”

He then drove the woman home. The jury was told that the following morning the woman woke up feeling confused, not knowing how she got home, and contacted the police as she was concerned she had been the victim of a sexual assault.

Police took CCTV footage from Harveys and identified the defendant, arresting him.

Mr Bahja, 45, of Shelley Road, Darlington, who denies rape, told officers the woman had fully consented and she had instigated the sexual encounter.

Ms Kidd said the woman was not conscious at the time and was so intoxicated that she was incapable of consent.

She is expected to give evidence on day two of the trial. The trial continues.