The jury in the trial of an Ipswich man accused of raping a woman on 50 to 100 occasions is expected to continue its deliberations on Friday.
Before Ipswich Crown Court is 30-year-old Samuel James, of Fuchsia Lane, Ipswich, who has denied five offences of rape and two offences of assault by penetration.
The jury retired to consider its verdict on Thursday ( September 30) and was sent home at the end of the day without returning any verdicts.
During the trial it was alleged that James used sex “as a weapon” and felt entitled to have sex with the woman regardless of what she wanted.
On one occasion James, who was described as “violent and abusive”, had allegedly struck the woman during sex and had put his hands round her throat, said Brian Reece, prosecuting.
Mr Reece alleged that James had raped the woman and that she claimed she’d been raped on “50 to 100” occasions by James.
He said that after the woman contacted the police James had denied the allegations and accused her of having mental health issues.
Giving evidence James described the allegations as “vile and disgusting” and said he’d never had sex with anyone without their consent.
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