A MAN accused of raping two women tried to contact both alleged victims from prison, a court heard.

Christopher Harwood, who allegedly raped the women between 2006 and 2013, engaged in a "manipulative campaign" against each woman, by urging them to retract their allegations after he contacted them from prison, Bolton Crown Court heard.

Summing up the case for the prosecution Judge Timothy Clayson told the jury: "Each woman made numerous attempts by letters to the judge to get him off the hook.

"Each woman believed at the time that she did indeed love him and that he would not repeat what he had done."

The jury, which is expected to retire today, heard Harwood placed his second victim’s head in a noose after revealing he had suicidal thoughts and told her he wanted her to know what it felt like.

He freed her only when she started making noises. Harwood is also accused of raping his first victim at gunpoint.

The second victim is alleged to have put her hand to the trigger during the attack while the gun was pointed at her head, hoping it would go off.

Earlier in the hearing the victim told the jury she put her hand on the trigger and urged him to shoot her.

The court heard that Harwood's first victim contacted his second to warn her of his conduct.

She told the court that this did not influence her evidence, as she believed the woman was acting out of "jealously" and "spite".

The first set of sexual allegations against Harwood were dropped after the woman retracted her complaint.

But the case was reopened after the second woman came forward in August 2013 alleging Harwood had raped her and made threats to kill her.

The court heard Harwood was "emotionally raw" after his mother took her own life.

His defence has questioned why the first victim had not mentioned being raped when she reported Harwood for assaulting her.

Harwood denies five counts of rape, attempted rape, two counts of making threats to kill and one count of possessing a firearm while committing rape.

The case continues.