A WOMAN told a crown court jury today how a man grabbed her and threatened to break her neck if she screamed before dragging her into undergrowth.

It was alleged that serial rape suspect Antoni Imiela, from Appledore, near Ashford, then stripped and raped the woman on Putney Heath in South London before leaving her tied up, partially naked.

The prosecution claim that Mr Imiela, 49, then used the victim’s mobile phone to call her mother, bragging about what he had just done.

When the victim’s sister called the phone to find out what was happening a man, said to be Mr Imiela, said the woman was “a bit tied up at the moment".

The woman, now 27, was giving evidence at Maidstone Crown Court and is said to be Mr Imiela’s third victim in a string of rapes he is accused of committing.

The dock was screened off so the woman could not see her alleged attacker during her 55 minutes in the witness box.

Dressed in black, she spoke quietly as she described being dragged from a footpath in to undergrowth on July 11, 2002. Mr Imiela is accused of raping a woman hours earlier in Surrey.

Often pausing and sipping water, the nurse said she heard someone running behind her as she walked on the heath and thought it was just a jogger.

She then felt an arm grip tightly round her neck. “I screamed,” she said. “A voice told me ‘if you scream again I will break your neck’.” She continued: “He said ‘I don’t want to get caught again’.”

Once away from the path, the attacker pulled her grey vest over her head. When she asked him why he was attacking her, he replied: “I’m not getting any sex.”

The woman even emptied her purse, offering the man all the money she had to try and stop him, to which he said: “That will do for a start.”

She explained to the jury how her hands were tied behind her back with her bra, before he stripped her of all but her socks, telling her: “You’re quite nice looking and you smell nice. Better than the last one, she stank.”

She was then groped before being raped. He asked her to kiss him and tell him that she liked it as well as calling her "a bitch".

The attacker then tied her hands and feet together and left - warning “If I hear you scream I will be back.”

The woman freed herself and found two people walking on the heath to raise the alarm.

The attacker had commented on her phone which was in her bag. Once he had fled she realised it was gone.

Her mother then told how she was left “absolutely panic stricken” after receiving a call at home from a man explaining what he had done.

When she discovered it was her daughter’s mobile number she tried to call back, but the phone was off.

The victim’s sister then managed to get through and spoke to the man. She told the jury of his dismissive tone when he answered her call. All three women described the man as having a northern accent.

Mr Imiela denies nine charges of rape, one of attempted rape, indecent assault and kidnap between November 2001 and November 2002.

His first attack is said to have been the rape of a 10-year-old Ashford girl on Ashford's Stanhope estate.

The trial continues.