A 32-year-old man has gone on trial for raping a transsexual with whom he had been having an affair for several months.

Prosecutor Anthony Potter said the alleged victim was born a man but had changed to a female identity and was awaiting a gender operation.

He said that Barry Dearlove had been having a sexual relationship with the alleged victim, but he violently assaulted her on May 1, 2011, after they had been drinking with friends at the Brewery Tap pub in Lowesmoor, Worcester.

They had gone back to her flat in Worcester and he accosted her in the bathroom as she prepared for bed, Worcester Crown Court was told.

Dearlove, of South Park Avenue, Didcot, Oxfordshire, denies rape and another serious sex assault.

The complainant had not gone to the police straight away and it was a month before Dearlove was interviewed. He agreed there had been a sexual relationship but the incident in the bathroom had been no more than kissing.

Mr Potter said when they returned to the flat after a night-out Dearlove had been in an affectionate mood but his companion pulled away when he started making advances in the bathroom.

In a videoed interview, the complainant said she had met Dearlove through the transgender world. She had adopted a new name while she waited for an operation.

She said she had screamed because of the pain when she was attacked.

Later she was in tears and had intended to forgive Dearlove but after consulting a doctor, she decided to make a complaint to the police.

Mr Potter said Dearlove was not interviewed until a month later and then denied having sexual intercourse.

The trial continues.