A persistent Nick Crawshaw made his alleged victim ‘accept defeat’ as he raped her in Grosvenor Park, a court heard.

The 23-year-old is accused of attacking the woman in the same spot as he did her friend two years earlier.

Crawshaw, of West Street, Hoole, denies six counts of rape, three of sexual assault and two charges of assault by penetration between 2010 and 2012 from eight alleged victims.

The trial at Warrington Crown Court heard evidence from the seventh complainant in the case on Friday afternoon (October 7).

The woman said: “I shouted for him to stop but it felt so pointless because there was nobody else in the park to hear me. It was late in the evening.

“I almost accepted defeat.”

She said she was ‘good friends’ with Crawshaw and had known him for more than a year prior to the alleged incident in March or April of 2012.

They had previously had a casual sexual relationship.

The pair had arranged to meet near Grosvenor Park as he had just broken up with his girlfriend and she was ‘on a break’ with her boyfriend, the court heard.

After a long walk and chat around the park, she said they sat down on a bench.

The complainant said they continued to talk, before Crawshaw said ‘the best way to get over someone is to get with someone else’ and tried to kiss her.

Initially she refused, but kissed him back when he tried again.

The woman said she stopped it and told him she wanted to get back with her boyfriend, but he persisted and shoved his hand down her trousers and sexually assaulted her.

This caused her to stand up and motion to leave, but she said the defendant took her bag and umbrella away from her.

Crawshaw convinced his alleged victim he would not try anything again before he led her into some bushes and pointed out a house he claimed was his own, the court heard.

The alleged victim said she again tried to leave, but Crawshaw grabbed her arm.

She said: “He put his hands down my pants again, then bent me over and pulled his trousers down.

“When he bent me over he held my arm behind my back. I felt frozen.

“It was over pretty quickly. I just remember staring at the same branch.”

As they left the park, Crawshaw told her ‘not to tell anyone’ about what had happened, the jury were told.

Crawshaw says these events have been completely made up.

The complainant went to school with the third, fourth and fifth alleged victims in the case.

Both she and the third complainant say Crawshaw raped them in the same spot in Grosvenor Park, using the same line about being able to see his house.

Mr Le Brocq said: “The reason your reports are so similar is because you’ve got your heads together to make false allegations.”

The woman said this was not true and she could not understand ‘what either of us would have to gain from that’.

Mr Le Brocq said: “You never even went into Grosvenor Park on the night you are telling us with Nick Crawshaw did you?

“This was essentially a public place. He would be taking a risk by taking you there and raping you. You could have shouted out.”

The complainant said her story was the truth.

She added she ‘didn’t think it’s something you ever get over’, when asked how she felt about the alleged incident now.

The woman said: “At the time I almost didn’t think it had happened, I just thought I had had sex when I didn’t want to. You never expect that to happen to you.

“It wasn’t until two weeks later I realised it was a lot more than that.

“I was just sat in my room and I just completely broke down and started crying.”

Crawshaw denies all the charges against him.

The trial at Warrington Crown Court continues.