Raped and left for dead

Medical evidence outlining in detail the injuries the 33-year-old woman suffered during her ordeal last July was read to the jury at Manchester Crown Court on Friday.

They included a swollen left eye, which she could barely open, a fractured cheekbone, bruising to her neck, scratches and scrapes to her back, legs and arms, and severe injury to her left nipple.

Former security guard Andrew Malkinson, aged 38, of Grimsby, has denied rape and attempted murder.

The victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons, had been walking home in Little Hulton when she was dragged down a motorway embankment in Cleggs Lane and attacked in the early hours of July 19 last year.

She had been walking home from her boyfriend's house after a row when the defendant allegedly started following her.

The woman, from Kearsley, was strangled until she was unconscious. She woke up a short time later and ran to the nearest road to get help. Forensic scientists tested 29 samples, including swabs from various parts of the victim's body, her clothes, and grass from the scene, but no DNA evidence was found.

The court also heard interviews carried out between Detective Sergeant William McGreavy, who was in charge of the investigation, and Malkinson. Four interviews were conducted on August 2 and 3, and the defendant was questioned for a total of two hours and 15 minutes.

Parts of the interviews were read out in full. During the second interview, which was carried out after the victim had positively identified the defendant in an identity parade, Malkinson said: "I believe it is a case of mistaken identity and I believe that in due course when the DNA tests come back my innocence will be substantiated."

During the first interview he also told police the reason for returning to Grimsby before his arrest was to see his son whom he had not seen for 10 years, and his mother who he had not seen for a long time. The defendant is due to give evidence today.

Proceeding