Oxford woman ‘inconsolable’ after alleged rape, jury hears

Armanto Tzourtzi, of Cowley Road, Oxford, is on trial at Oxford Crown Court.

The 24-year-old has pleaded not guilty to two counts of rape and one count of assaulting a female by penetration.

The allegations relate to an incident in the early hours of August 2, 2023.

On Monday, March 30, prosecution barrister Edward Lucas opened the case for the jury.

The jury heard that on the night in question there had been a lock-in at The Cowley Retreat, in Cowley Road, as a leaving party for a member of staff.

Mr Lucas told the jury that both the defendant and the complainant were in attendance.

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Oxford Crown Court (Image: Contributed)

Tzourtzi had been part of a group from The Baron, which is also in Cowley Road.

Mr Lucas said: “She (the complainant) said she was not drunk and had full capacity to make decisions.

“They were speaking and he (Tzourtzi) put his arm round her.”

The jury heard that the lock-in finished at around 3.30am and a group went back to the woman’s flat in Headington.

Everyone except the defendant left the flat at around 4.30am.

Mr Lucas told the jury that this was when the alleged rape took place.

The barrister said: “He was forceful and bit her lip. She didn’t know what he was capable of. He forced her head down to give him oral sex.

“At that stage, she describes her mindset as completely changing

“She gagged and vomited over him. He grabbed her chest area. She told him to stop three times.

“She describes him as being harsh, not gentle. She was crying.”

The jury then heard Tzourtzi allegedly pushed her onto the bed and ‘anally raped’ her.

Mr Lucas said: “She left the room at the first opportunity. She was inconsolable. She told her friend she had been raped.

“She felt confused and was trying to process what happened.”

Police was contacted and Tzourtzi was arrested in Cowley Road. During his police interview, he gave an account to police that the sexual activity was consensual and that she didn’t tell him to stop and didn’t vomit.

Mr Lucas added: “Every person has the right to make a free choice about what sexual activity they consent to.”

In a video recorded interview the woman gave shortly after the incident, she said: “I was drinking, but not to the point that I was drunk and out of control.

“I felt I still had capacity to make decisions.”

The trial continues.