A woman was brutally raped on a deserted station platform at night after she had shown concern for the health of her attacker, a court heard.

She was subjected to an ordeal lasting up to half an hour as trains sped by at Swanley without stopping, it was alleged.

Ryan Clifford, 28, put his hands around the woman’s throat, threatened her, sexually assaulted her and finally raped her several times, a jury was told.

Swanley train station

Prosecutor Andrew Copeland said the woman eventually escaped when a train stopped on the platform and she managed to run off.

The woman had been out in September last year and was travelling from New Ash Green to go home when she encountered Clifford.

“She saw him acting rather curiously,” said Mr Copeland. “He was smoking and intoxicated. They had a brief chat. She was checking if he was alright.

“He stumbled a bit. She was concerned for him. He looked ill.”

The woman, who was in her late 20s, got off at Swanley to change trains. Clifford got off also and asked her to sit down with him.

They ended up by platforms three and four, which were not covered by CCTV cameras.

Mr Copeland said Clifford told the woman: “You look like a Tomboy. I like Tomboys.” He tried to kiss her but she moved away.

“He then commenced the attack,” he said. “It was particularly violent attack. It went on for possibly half-an-hour.”

Clifford whispered obscenities into her ear. He grabbed her arms as she told him: “No, no.”

The outside of Maidstone Crown Court

The woman, who is 5ft 3in tall, said she did not have the strength to push him off. He put his hands around her throat and slapped and punched her.

Clifford had a bottle of wine with him and tried to force the woman to drink some.

Mr Copeland said Clifford molested the woman and raped her before a train interrupted him. Her trainers had come off and she ran leaving them behind.

One taxi driver refused to take the woman but another cabbie called the police. Clifford, meanwhile, walked off into the town.

After being arrested there he told police: “I know I have been bad.”

But he claimed in a prepared statement: “I am not guilty of rape. I met a woman on a train at Swanley. We got off at Swanley. We had consenting sex on the platform.”

Clifford, of no fixed address, denies four charges of rape and two of assault by penetration.

The trial continues.