A TEARFUL 16 year-old girl told a court how a taxi driver held her down and raped her.

But Wayne Darcy, aged 31, of Pole Street, Tonge Moor, denies rape and said sex had been consensual.

Darcy is alleged to have carried out the rape on April 19 of this year as he took the girl home as a favour for a friend.

Robert Elias, prosecuting, told Bolton Crown Court yesterday that the alleged victim had been with a female friend at a house on the Oldhams estate, before deciding to go home at about 8.45pm.

The friend contacted Darcy, whom she knew, and arranged for the girl to be picked up.

After driving along Tonge Moor Road, Darcy allegedly drove down a back street claiming that he needed to avoid being seen by other cab drivers as he was "doing a favour".

He stopped his car and then allegedly raped the girl. He then drove her home, saying he would call her at 2am when he came off duty.

Giving evidence via a video link to the court, the alleged victim said that her friend had told her she should not walk home on her own, but she set off anyway.

A few moments later she received a call on her mobile phone from her friend who told her that Darcy would come and pick her up outside a local school.

Giving evidence, the girl tearfully said that when she first approached the cab the back doors were locked, so she had to get into the front of the cab.

After driving down Tonge Moor Road she said Darcy pulled into a dimly-lit side street.

"He said he had to go that way because he didn't want to be seen by any other cab drivers because he was doing a favour. I thought it would be OK," the girl said.

But after slowing down he got out and told the girl to join him "for a couple of minutes".

When she refused, he got back in the car and attempted to kiss her and touch her intimately, saying "she told me you were up for it".

The girl told the court: "I said I just want to go home, I'm only 16. But he didn't take any notice."

The girl said that she tried to escape from the car, but Darcy kept the lock down on the door with his hand.

The alleged victim said that when she got home she burst into tears and wanted to cut up and burn the clothes she had been wearing.

Darcy said that sex had indeed taken place, but that it had been consensual.

Proceeding