A THIRTEEN-year-old alleged victim of rape said she was asking herself "is he going to kill me?" while she was being attacked in Newport, a court heard.

Jonathan Swift, 25, of Canon Street, Newport, denies raping the teenager on Saturday, March 1, in an alley in the Malpas area of the city and breaching a sexual offences prevention order.

Jurors heard today at Cardiff Crown Court that the girl was “in pieces” after the incident and had self-harmed.

Speaking in a pre-recorded interview with the police, the alleged victim said she met her alleged attacker on a bus when he sat down near to her and began asking her questions.

She said: "He was asking me how old I was and how many people I had slept with and if I would sleep with someone I didn't know.”

The girl added that she told Swift that she was 13 but then she refused to answer any of the more personal questions.

“I was on the edge of what to do,” she added, “He smelt like he’d been drinking.”

The girl and Swift got off the bus at the same stop and continued chatting as they walked down the road.

She said Swift pushed her up to 15 times towards an alley before pulling down her trousers and raping her.

She told police the attack lasted for five or six minutes before she pushed herself away from him and escaped to a nearby house.

After the pre-recorded interview, the girl was cross-examined via video link.

Defence barrister Hilary Roberts questioned if instead of feeling scared, the girl actually "enjoyed" the "flirtatious" nature of the conversation on the bus, which she denied.

He also asked her if she had actually told Swift she was 17, instead of her real age and if she had willingly got off the bus with him and followed him down the alley, both of which she denied.

Mr Roberts told the court that Swift admits that sexual activity took place with the girl but that he claims it was consensual and that he did not have reasonable belief that she was under 16.

He added that Swift claims that during their conversation on the bus, which was of a sexual nature, he asked the girl “what would you be prepared to do?” and she said “I normally just go with flow”, which she also denied.

If the jury finds Swift not guilty of rape, they can find him guilty of engaging in sexual activity with a child under 16.

The girl’s mother, who was called as a witness, told the jury her daughter was “hysterical” after the incident and that she was “in pieces”.

She added that her daughter had self-harmed and had taken an overdose in the months since.

Proceeding.