A MAN on trial accused of rape has told a jury he did not commit the alleged offence.

Wayne Hilton, 40, made repeated and robust denials from the witness box at Carlisle Crown Court.

Hilton stands accused of raping a woman in the early hours of March 1 last year at a house in Carlisle.

Giving evidence, he said he was giving a true and honest account of what had happened. 

During cross-examination from Tim Evans, prosecuting, Hilton insisted he had “nothing to hide”.

The court heard that in an interview with police just 18 hours after the alleged incident, he described the woman as “compos mentis” that night.

Hilton also maintained she was “not too drunk” to agree to sex.

“Is that true?” Mr Evans asked him. “Yes,” Hilton insisted. 

“Do you stick by that?” the barrister continued. Hilton replied: “Absolutely.”

Mr Evans cast doubt on those claims, saying to him: “You are making all of it up, aren’t you?” 

Hilton, of Ewanrigg Road, Maryport, responded: “No, I am not. No.”

The trial continues.