A father-of-four locked a woman in a bathroom before forcing her to the floor and raping her, a jury heard yesterday.

Paul Mark Anthony Bristow, (39), from Northfield, Birmingham, is accused of carrying out the attack in the en-suite bathroom of his former home in Woodville, Derbyshire.

Giving evidence at Derby Crown Court, his alleged victim wept as she described the moment he ordered her to take off her clothes.

When she refused, the prosecution claim Bristow ripped off her clothes and raped her despite her pleas for him to stop. The woman was severely injured during the incident on September 15, 2001.

The court was told the woman had been attacked by Bristow the previous night after an argument, but was too scared to report it to police.

She claimed she lived with the secret until last year when Bristow assaulted her and threatened to kill her, forcing her to go to the police.

It is alleged that, on May 1, 2004, Bristow tried to force himself on the woman for the second time following an argument during which he grabbed her by the neck and threw her into a chair before spitting on her, smashing a glass at her feet, pouring a bottle of bourbon over her and daring her to call the police. The jury heard Bristow, who had been drinking heavily, then attempted to rape the woman. Andrew Easteal, defending Bristow, read text messages from June, 2004, in which the pair appear to joke about ordering sex toys. He said: "Why would you choose to engage in explicit sexual banter with a rapist?"

The woman claimed she was scared Bristow would become aggressive if she did not humour him. Bristow has admitted two counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm, as well as charges of intimidation and issuing threats to kill in July, 2004. He denies sexual assault and common assault on May 1 last year, and the rape in 2001.

The case continues.