A vulnerable teenage girl was allegedly raped and strangled before being thrown out of a car in Co Down, the High Court has heard.
Prosecutors claimed a 37-year-old Belfast man also threatened her with a knife after being told she was pregnant with his baby.
A so-called “good Samaritan” discovered her lying by the side of a road in Bangor following the incident on September 26th.
Details emerged as the accused was refused bail on charges which involve plying the teenager with crack cocaine as part of a campaign of sexual and physical violence.
He is not being named to protect the identity of the 17-year-old girl.
She made a 999 call in the early hours of September 26th, claiming the defendant had just attacked and raped her in his car.
The girl alleged that he then threw her out of the vehicle and drove off.
The girl, who was intoxicated, claimed the man had raped and grabbed her by the throat, striking her head off the dashboard.
She said he had a knife and threatened to use it on her, and that she told him that evening that she is pregnant with his baby.
The pair had been in a relationship for a number of months after meeting online through Snapchat, according to the injured party’s account.
He allegedly supplied her with crack cocaine, which they used to smoke together.
The court heard they also had consensual sex on multiple occasions at the defendant’s home and other locations.
But he also recorded those encounters on his phone without her permission, it was claimed.
On the night of the alleged rape, she said he picked her up in the Bangor area, took a shot of neat rum and supplied her with the rest of it.
She was taken to the Ulster Hospital for treatment to injuries on her neck, forehead and arms.
Based on her wider circumstances, the prosecution barrister submitted: “The injured party is deemed to be one of the most vulnerable children in Northern Ireland.”
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The defendant denies charges of rape, non-fatal strangulation, voyeurism, possession of an offensive weapon, having indecent images of a child and supplying class A drugs.
During interviews, he claimed the girl’s injuries were self-inflicted following consensual sex in his car.
The man said he pushed her out of the car near a roundabout when she started banging her head off the dashboard
He admitted they had been in a sexual relationship for up to four months but insisted those activities were never recorded.
Defence barrister Sean Devine highlighted how the girl has not yet made an official statement of complaint.
“The issue is one of consent in a relationship which was in place for some time,” he said.
Refusing bail, Judge Doherty cited the risks of reoffending and interference with a vulnerable alleged child victim.
The judge stated: “I am concerned that, at its height, this is an absolutely horrendous incident.”