A woman who claimed she was sexually assaulted in the bathroom of a Belfast apartment told police she thought she was going to die, a jury heard yesterday.

Orhan Kibar is accused of inviting two young women to his Russell Court apartment at Claremont Street in the early hours of November 25, 2017 and raping them.

The 43-year-old denies three counts of rape and one count of false imprisonment.

A jury at Belfast Crown Court heard the women - who at the time were aged 18 and 19 - both claim they were sexually assaulted by Kibar.

The jury of seven women and five men heard that Kibar is a Turkish national who has been living in Northern Ireland for "some time".

Prosecuting, Charles MacCreanor QC said the two friends had been at Queen's Students Union on the evening of November 24, and as the bar closed they left at around 1.30am.

As they stood on the street, they were approached by a "complete stranger" who started talking to them.

This stranger, who the Crown say was Kibar, asked if they wanted to go to a party.

They walked with him a short distance to his apartment in Russell Court, but when they entered his flat, they realised there was no party.

Mr MacCreanor said the 18-year-old was offered a drink and a smoke, while the 19-year-old woman fell asleep on the settee.

The 18-year-old then went to the toilet, and said Kibar came into the bathroom and grabbed her. She said he was aggressive, there was a struggle and Kibar pulled down his trousers.

The woman said Kibar sexually assaulted her. She later told police she bit him and was finally able to flee the bathroom.

Mr MacCreanor said as she fled, she didn't see her friend sleeping on the settee in the living room, and also left her coat and phone in the apartment.

The 18-year-old ran onto the street, and bumped into someone she knew. In a "distressed state", she described what had happened and police were called.

As officers were trying to locate the apartment, Mr MacCreanor said "they were met by a young woman in an upset and very distressed state running down the corridor, who was shouting she had been raped". When officers went to the apartment and Kibar opened the door, the woman said: "That's him," and he was arrested.

The second woman told police that after she and her friend went to Kibar's flat, she fell asleep and "completely blacked out". Mr MacCreanor told the jury: "The next thing is, she woke up and the defendant was naked on top of her, raping her."

The prosecutor said the woman told Kibar she needed to go to the toilet, and that after a few minutes he let her go to the bathroom - then when she stepped out of the bathroom, he was standing there naked.

It's the Crown's case that Kibar then pushed the 19-year-old back, that she thought he had a weapon like a knife or screwdriver that he was going to stab her with, and that during a struggle he broke one of her fingers.

Kibar is accused of holding her down and raping her a second time, after which she was able to flee his flat.

Both women were found to have abrasions to their private area. Other injuries included a broken finger suffered by one of the women.

Kibar was arrested and charged with four offences - namely raping the 18-year-old and falsely imprisoning her in the bathroom, and raping the 19-year-old twice. A bite injury was also noted on his left hand.

The trial is expected to last for two weeks.

Belfast Telegraph