A MAN accused of rape searched the internet for a guide on how to do it, a court heard.

Luke West used his phone to search “how to rape and get away with it, how to rape a woman in daylight, how to surprise attack your victim”, and “step-by-step guide to rape a woman”, a court heard.

The 29-year-old from Southampton is accused of rape and grievous bodily harm (GBH) with intent against a 40-year-old woman following an attack in Bournemouth’s Lower Gardens on November 13.

His alleged victim needed surgery for a fractured eye socket.

West denies all charges.

At Winchester Crown Court yesterday he claimed he was sexually abused at boarding school during his teens and while in a children’s home.

He argued he was simply using his phone to research how this abuse happened to him.

Giving evidence West said he had been in Bournemouth for work, and on the night of the attack, he and a friend had visited the lapdance club Wiggle.

They then returned to his friend’s flat in Yelverton Road, but West says he was unable to sleep because he missed his partner - his “baby”.

He claims he then went out for a walk and to pick up an ounce of cannabis “to relax” from a drug dealer in the Lower Gardens.

After “smoking a joint” West says he went to relieve himself.

He said: “As I stopped I heard something that did not sound quite right.

“I said hello and saw a male pop his head up.

“He had a scar under his right eye.

“I noticed there was a leg. I said, ‘are you alright over there?’.

“I could see the female there and the injuries on her face.

“He had clearly attacked her. I kicked him in his head.

“He stood up looking at me like a crazy man before lunging at me.

“He punched me round the back of the right ear and took me to the floor.

“I was shouting for help and trying to protect myself.

“He grabbed my head and smashed it on the floor. I shouted for help two or three more times and with that, he got up and ran off.

“The woman was still in the bush. I went to try and help her.

“She was in a really bad state. I held her hand to comfort her and let her know someone was there. She was gargling. It seemed like she was struggling to breathe.”

When a security warden and another man arrived on the scene West reportedly told them to ring the police - this is when he left the gardens.

He told the court that he ran from the park to try and find the attacker, because he was in shock and because he feared police would arrest him and take his ounce of cannabis.

Previously the court had heard that West, of Warren Avenue, had complained about hand pain after his arrest and told a forensic paramedic he had broken both hands just two weeks before.

The trial continues.