A man wore a smirk on his face as he was caught raping a woman in a portable toilet, a court heard.
Ionut Buruiana, 26, is accused of attacking a 34-year-old victim outside the Disney store on Foregate Street in Chester in the early hours of March 13.
Prosecutors said he ignored her repeated cries of 'no'.
He followed his victim along the street and into the cubicle after a night out, the jury was told.
The first evidence in the trial was heard at Warrington Crown Court today, (Monday, August 15).
Buruiana was only stopped by the actions of a group of friends who heard the victim’s shouts and intervened by swinging the toilet door open, the jury was told.
Matthew Corbett-Jones, prosecuting, said: “Ionut Buriana followed the complainant for some distance. He had identified the fact she was drunk.
“He deliberately followed her into cubicle intending to rape her.
“The defendant forced himself on the victim, despite her obvious distress and her repeatedly saying no.”
The alleged victim and her friend had gone on a night out in Chester on Saturday, March 12.
They arrived in the city just after 9pm, first heading to Wetherspoon’s, before moving onto the Church bar and the Commercial.
CCTV shown in court
After leaving the pub shortly after 1am on Sunday, the pair separated on Foregate Street as the complainant went into the portable toilet and her friend went ahead into McDonalds.
CCTV played in court showed Buruiana following her before they both disappeared out of sight of the camera.
A group of friends were able to intervene after hearing the victim in distress, the court heard.
Mr Corbett-Jones said: “The complainant went to use the toilet and moments later the defendant followed her in.
“A woman went into the next cubicle and she could hear the victim saying no over and over.
“She went back out to tell her boyfriend and they banged on the door of the toilet. It was then they realised something was terribly wrong.
“The door was swung open and the defendant was stood with his back to them between the woman's legs. He had a smirk on his face as he turned to face them.”
'Distraught and hysterical'
Further CCTV footage shown to the jury showed the friends preventing the accused from leaving the scene before police arrived.
Witnesses said Buruiana was ‘agitated’ and officers later concluded he was also drunk.
The alleged victim came out of the cubicle ‘distraught, hysterical and in obvious distress’.
She said she does not remember the attack, but ‘remembers the sirens’ afterwards.
Buruiana, of Wharton Court, Chester, faces a single count of rape.
The 26-year-old, who is Romanian and required a translator, at the time said he only knew how to say ‘Hello’ and ‘How are you?’ in English.
In his police interview the defendant said everything which happened between himself and the complainant was consensual.
He said they got chatting to each other after the two women left the Commercial and skipped ‘hand-in-hand while singing together’ along Foregate Street.
'A blatant lie'
Mr Corbett-Jones said this was a ‘blatant lie’ and urged the jury of eight women and four men to find him guilty at the conclusion of the trial.
Judge Tina Landale is presiding in the case at Warrington Crown Court.
Buruiana denies the charge against him.
The trial continues.
