The defendant fell asleep but his girlfriend did not.

Mr Greenhalgh said: ‘She was in bed, naked as she normally would be.

‘In order to try and relieve the pressure and the pain of the contractions, she got onto all fours because she had been told that was a way of relieving the pain.

‘She was in that position when the defendant woke up. He saw her naked on all fours and said “I feel horny”, to which she replied “are you serious?”.

‘The defendant then got behind her and started having sex with her.’

The prosecutor said the woman ‘made it clear’ that it was ‘not something she wanted or something she was consenting to’ but the defendant ignored her protests.

Mr Greenhalgh said: ‘How did she do that? Well, in the first place it was obvious, one might have thought, because she was crying in pain from the contractions, but she also told him to stop it and said to him “please don’t”.’

‘The defendant didn’t listen to that and continued having sex with her.’

Mr Greenhalgh said after the alleged assault the defendant ‘even asked if she wanted him to run a bath for her’.

He continued: ‘Shortly after this had happened, she went to hospital and the couple’s son was born.’

Following the baby’s birth, the alleged victim stayed with her mother because the heating at the couple’s property was broken.

When she returned home she reported the alleged rape to her family and police.

Mr Greenhalgh said initial texts between the pair after the birth were of affection and excitement because of their child but that the tone soon changed when she went back home.

He said: ”The woman will note two things precipitated that change. Firstly, she was back in the bedroom where this happened, which is a stark and uncomfortable reminder to her. And, he behaved in an inappropriate way with the new baby.

‘The child is crying and he wouldn’t let her pick the child up and refers to it as a “spoilt little ****”. It was at that point she decided she couldn’t forget what has happened.’

The defendant denies the pair had sex.The trial continues.