A 39-YEAR-OLD Barnoldswick man accused of twice raping a teenager he met outside a kebab shop has been cleared of all charges.

Mark Woodworth, of East Hill Street, was cleared of two charges of rape after a two-day trial at Burnley Crown Court. He had consistently denied the allegations, saying the girl had gone to his home voluntarily and fully consented to sex with him.

The complainant, a 17-year-old, claimed that after she went back to the defendant's home in the early hours he had pinned her down by the arms and had sex with her, despite the fact that she repeatedly said "No". She thought she was going to his house to sleep, and nothing more.

At the time of the alleged offences Woodworth was living in Devonshire Street, Accrington.

Andrew Lowcock, prosecuting, said the girl had been out with her sister and her sister's boyfriend to a nightclub in Accrington, apparently had a fair amount to drink and kissed a number of young men. It all seemed to have been pretty innocent, he said.

They left at about 3am and met Woodworth on the way to a kebab shop. He chatted up the 17-year-old, walked with her, held her hand and they kissed, becoming separated from the girl's sister.

Woodworth suggested they go to his house and, although anxious about her sister, the girl agreed. When they arrived, the girl laid on the defendant's bed due to the alcohol she had drunk and because she was tired, said Mr Lowcock.

She took off her boots and had a puff on a cannabis cigarette.

When Woodworth undressed and got in bed with her, she began to panic and only wanted to sleep. But Woodworth took off her clothes, pinned her down and raped her, then raped her again, alleged Mr Lowcock. He then offered her a cigarette and both fell asleep. The next morning she went to her sister's house and the police were alerted.

Cross-examined by Keith Harrison, defending Woodworth, the girl said she had "snogged" Woodworth three times on the way to his house and, although she had drunk six or seven halves of lager, she knew what she was doing.

Mr Harrison asked the girl: "You are saying you met a perfect stranger in the street. He says he fancies you and you are prepared to go back to his house to sleep for the night?

"You tell us that you were frightened, so why were you prepared to go back to his house, putting yourself at more risk? If you were scared, did you make one single effort at all to pull away from him?"

The girl replied "No", and agreed she told police she thought going to Woodworth's house would be a bit of a dare.

The court heard that when interviewed by police, Woodworth told them the girl had consented fully to everything they had done.

He told the court that the girl had kissed and fondled him and had taken off her own clothes when they got back to his house. She had not said no to sex with him.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.