THE trial of a man accused of pushing his alleged victim to the ground and raping him as he walked through local nature reserve has started today.

Michael Kinfe Tewelde is accused of attacking the man near the Maze Park Nature Reserve, in Middlesbrough, at around 7.30pm on Thursday, April 29 this year.

Teesside Crown Court heard how the defendant is accused of raping the man after they bumped into each other on the secluded footpath.

The alleged victim, a man in his 40s, says he was approached by a male and offered him a smoke on his ‘joint’ but the defendant is accused of making a sexual advance towards the man instead.

Jonathan Walker, prosecuting, told jurors how the victim was attacked as he made his way home from a fitness class he regularly attended in the area.

Mr Walker said the man made it clear he was not interested before starting to walk away.

It was at this point that Tewelde has pushed the man to the ground and raped him, he added.

Jurors heard how when the attack was over, the man used his gym towel to wipe himself clean before walking home in an ‘agitated state’.

The police were called and a DNA sample was recovered from the towel and the hunt for his alleged attacker got underway with a public appeal for information.

When Tewelde was arrested he initially denied there had been any sexual contact with the man but then changed his story to the sex being ‘consensual’ between the pair.

The 36-year-old, of Leeds Street, central Stockton, pleaded not guilty to the allegation of rape this afternoon.

Tewelde spoke only to confirm his name and enter a plea through a Tigrinya interpreter.

The trial continues.

Keep up to date with all the latest news on our website, or follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

You can also follow our dedicated Teesside Facebook page for all the latest in the area by clicking here.

For all the top news updates from right across the region straight to your inbox, sign up to our newsletter here.

Have you got a story for us? Contact our newsdesk on newsdesk@nne.co.uk or contact 01325 505054