Two Libyan soldiers who were training in Britain acted like ‘hunting dogs’ before taking it in turns to hold down and rape a man after leaving their barracks unsupervised, a court heard today.

Moktar Ali Saad Mahmoud, 33, and Ibrahim Abugtila, 23, left their base at Bassingbourn Barracks in Cambridgeshire to meet their alleged victim, who had left a wedding very drunk, it is claimed.

The pair had been undergoing training in Britain as part of an agreement by the UK government to help war-torn Libya after the 2011 collapse of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi's regime.

In training: Moktar Ali Saad Mahmoud, 33, and Ibrahim Abugtila, 23, left their base at Bassingbourn Barracks (pictured) in Cambridgeshire to meet their alleged victim, who had left a wedding very drunk, it is claimed

Opening the case at Cambridge Crown Court today, prosecutor John Farmer said they met their alleged victim, a ‘complete stranger’ in his 20s, in the centre of the city at 3.26am on October 26.

The man had left a wedding party after drinking ‘formidable’ amounts of alcohol and is seen on CCTV footage being led to Christ's Pieces park by the defendants.

Mr Farmer said: ‘He was in no fit state one way or another to consent. They behaved like two hunting dogs who had seen a wounded animal.

‘They effectively took him over and, initially not using too much force and later more forcefully, kept him going in the direction they wanted him to go.’

Location: The alleged victim had left a wedding party after drinking ‘formidable’ amounts of alcohol and is seen on CCTV footage being led to Christ's Pieces park (above) in Cambridge by the defendants

Once at Christ's Pieces, the men allegedly each raped the man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, while the other held him down.

They behaved like two hunting dogs who had seen a wounded animal John Farmer, prosecuting

The two rapes are said to have taken 38 minutes and the victim contacted police to report the attack minutes after the men fled.

CCTV footage shown to the court revealed Mahmoud and Abugtila were circling the area just a couple of hours before the alleged crime.

Mr Farmer said the pair's lack of English would become ‘quite important’ as the case goes on, when it comes to the issue of consent.

Mr Farmer said both accept they had sex with the man but say he consented. They say he made up the allegation after stealing money from them. They both deny raping and aiding and abetting rape.

In the UK: The pair had been undergoing training at Bassingbourn Barracks (above) as part of an agreement by the UK government to help war-torn Libya after the 2011 collapse of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi's regime

Three of their fellow soldiers were also arrested around the same time in connection with unrelated sex offences in the city and are currently awaiting sentencing after admitting their crimes.

He was in no fit state one way or another to consent John Farmer, prosecuting

This coincided with other concerns over the conduct of Libyan cadets training at the base.

The incidents prompted the Ministry of Defence to send 300 soldiers back to their home country prematurely, ending an agreement to put 2,000 soldiers through basic infantry and junior command training in an attempt to help rebuild the troubled nation.