A Japanese woman who was visiting Perth on a working holiday visa was left crying and shaking after being raped by her winery employer, a court has heard.

Chidlow’s Well owner Peter Raymond Costa, 57, is on trial in the District Court of WA, accused of repeatedly sexually assaulting the woman in March 2015.

A South American friend of the woman told the court on Wednesday that she and her husband immediately retrieved the 24-year-old from the winery after receiving text messages asking for help and explaining she’d been raped by her boss.

“I really need to move soon. I was attacked in my house from my boss. I don’t know how I can do ... help me!!!” (sic) the first text read.

The friend replied: “He touched you? Or hit?”

The complainant texted back: “Not only touched. He raped me.”

The friend said the woman was “in a really bad state” when they drove her back to Perth.

“She was crying, she was shaking.”

The accused, his wife, the woman and a Korean colleague usually had wine with their evening meal but Costa’s spouse was away that night, and he kept topping up his employee’s glass despite her protests, saying “it’s a Saturday”.

The friend said the woman reported Costa tried to kiss her as she got up to go to bed and she again said no.

The court heard the woman was so drunk she could only remember fragments of the rest of the night, but recalled waking up with Costa on top of her.

Prosecutor Ben Stanwix said she struggled and kicked Costa to try to throw him off.

But the assault only ended when she called out to her colleague, who burst into the room and found them both semi-naked, and she was crying.

Defence counsel David Rice suggested the workers made up the story to get out of doing hard work in summer.

Mr Rice also urged the jury to consider that the woman had been drinking and whether there was consent.

The court heard the workers were only paid in meals and lodging under the Willing Workers on Organic Farms program.

The trial continues.