A JEHOVAH’S Witness on trial for rape and sexual assault charges reportedly blamed his alleged victim for ‘corrupting’ him, a jury has been told.

Jay Thomas Norwell, 30, of Black Lane, Cuerdley, is accused of raping a 15-year-old girl and of sexually assaulting another victim.

He is denying all the charges in a trial taking place in Liverpool this week.

In a police interview, one of the alleged victims said: “He had a religious upbringing and he blamed me for corrupting him.

“He saw me as immoral.”

The first alleged rape offence is said to have taken place at a fancy dress party in the mid 2000s, when the defendant was 19-years-old and the victim was aged 15.

The jury sitting at Liverpool Crown Court on Tuesday heard the victim describe being pushed on to a bed by Norwell.

She said: “I didn’t fight back against him.

“I was just asking him to stop.”

Afterwards, the victim said Norwell was distressed and incoherent, and she ended up comforting him.

She said: “I felt it was my fault because I had upset him, so I was trying to comfort him and apologising.”

Prosecuting Keith Sutton said: “The prosecution say it was very obvious that she was not consenting and she asked him to stop.”

Norwell is also accused of assaulting the victim while she was crying by penetrating her with his fingers in his car after a birthday party.

He is also accused of raping the same victim in 2007 at his home, at a time when the victim had dislocated her shoulder due to a medical condition.

Norwell denies all the charges and claims that in all three incidents, sex was consensual.

The victim told the court: “I didn’t tell anyone at the time because I was scared and I didn’t think anyone would believe me, because he told me it wasn’t happening.

“He said it wasn’t happening and that I was crazy.”

Norwell is also accused of sexually assaulting another victim at a party when he was lying on the floor and she stepped over him.

The defendant allegedly put his hands up the victim’s shorts and grabbed her.

William Donnelly, defending, said: “He simply denies that anything like that incident happened at all.”

The trial continues.