A WOMAN who alleges a man raped her was “happily dancing with him” for most of the night, a court heard.

The trial of Olawale Hassan entered its second day with his alleged victim taking to the witness box.

The 33-year-old rapper, known by his stage name “Goldie 1”, denies three counts of rape and one of sexual assault, which are all alleged to have happened in his car outside the Genting Casino in Westcliff on February 25, 2017.

Representing Hassan, Matthew Bagnall showed the jury CCTV footage from inside two nightclubs in Southend which Hassan had visited with the woman and her friend that night.

The woman states she never had any sexual interest in Hassan but he kept following her around.

In CCTV footage, Hassan, of Falcone Avenue, Grays, and the woman could be seen dancing closely together.

Mr Bagnall asked the woman: “You told the officers in two interviews that really you did not want him around you, and you were getting quite annoyed, is that right?”

The woman replied: “When I was dancing with other people he was annoying.”

When Mr Bagnall pushed her further about the dancing, the woman said she was “just having fun”.

Mr Bagnall replied: “I am not suggesting otherwise, I am suggesting you had a fun evening, he was dancing with you and you were dancing with him, and you were happy to be dancing with him.”

The woman told the court that after leaving Talk nightclub at 3.18am, before the alleged rape happened in Hassan’s car, she did not remember going to Chameleon Nightclub with him and her friend, only that she was “on a dark, crowded dance floor”.

As she was pressed on the CCTV, she said: “I can just say that I was dancing with him.”

Mr Bagnall responded: “It’s a bit more than that, you are grinding on him.”

The trial continues.

Editor's note: We appreciate the sensitivity surrounding cases such as these. We would like to remind readers that this is an ongoing case, and every defendant is entitled to a fair trial. This message is intended without prejudice.