Woman 'raped within 15 minutes of meeting Tinder date for first time', court hears

A woman has told a court of how she was allegedly raped in her own home within 15 minutes of meeting her Tinder date for the first time.

The alleged victim said moments after telling the man to "make himself comfortable" while she finished getting ready for their dinner date, she was pushed against a wall and brutally assaulted. Suspect James Clacher, 57, has been accused of the violent rape of two women, one in 2019 and the other in 2020.

Clacher has denied any wrongdoing and is on trial at the High Court in Glasgow. He has lodged a special defence, claiming any sex was consensual.

The first alleged attack is said to have taken place at a house in Troon, South Ayrshire, on 24 August 2019. Giving evidence on Wednesday, the accuser said she met Clacher on Tinder.

At the time, Clacher was going by the name James Clarke and claimed to be 41-years-old instead of his correct age of 51. After speaking for a week, the pair arranged to meet at the woman's home ahead of taking a train to Prestwick for dinner.

Clacher was said to have arrived around 15 minutes early, so the woman invited him in while she finished getting ready for their night out. She said she poured herself a glass of prosecco, while Clacher asked for water.

The woman, who was wearing a black dress, said she became aware of the accused behind her in the kitchen. Believing him to be nervous, she said: "Make yourself comfortable, have a wee seat." The woman said Clacher went in for a kiss, which she initially refused.

During another attempt, it is alleged the accused tried to touch the woman intimately and for her to reciprocate, however, she told jurors she pushed his hand away. The woman then claimed Clacher flipped her around, pushed her against a kitchen wall and raped her.

All this was said to have occurred within 10 to 15 minutes of Clacher arriving at her home, When asked by advocate depute Catriona MacLeod if the accused said anything during the alleged attack, the woman replied: "No, not a word." When asked what she said, the woman said she told Clacher: "I don't like this and I don't want to do this." The accuser said Clacher only stopped when she started "shaking and crying". Following the alleged serious sexual assault, Clacher reportedly said: "I need a cuddle." The woman said Clacher then guided her to the staircase and upstairs despite her objection, explaining: "I was in shock.

I can't really explain it unless you've experienced it." Clacher is then accused of repeatedly attacking the woman in her bedroom. During the alleged incident, the accuser claims she was pushed face-first on to her bed during a sex attack before later being flipped on to her back, pinned down and raped again.

Following the alleged assault, the woman said she went to the bathroom to "clean up" and described her behaviour as "really strange". She said: "It was almost as if I disappeared.

I didn't know what to do." The woman added: "I was just confused. It's really difficult to explain.

It's a trauma response." Clacher was then said to have told the woman he had received a message from his father that his brother had allegedly suffered a heart attack. The complainer said the accused then attempted to force her into another sex act, but then quickly left her house after she reportedly highlighted: "Your brother's dying." During the early hours of the following morning, the woman phoned Police Scotland in an attempt to seek support information.

She told the court she did not intend to report Clacher to the authorities at that time and did not file an official complaint with the officers who turned up at her door later that morning. She said she was still trying to "make sense of it all.