A WOMAN whose day at the Amateurs races allegedly ended with her being raped by a stranger in her hotel room rang her friend in hysterics to say she had woken to find "a black man above me". 

The best friend gave evidence yesterday on the first day of the Cairns District Court trial of Joshua Colin Accoom, 28, who is charged with breaking into the four-star Mantra Trilogy hotel room on the Esplanade and digitally raping the 30-year-old woman in the early hours of September 14, 2008.

"What I can remember is her screaming, ‘I’ve just woken up and there’s a black man standing above me’; she was quite upset, scared," the friend said.

She said she then ran along the Esplanade straight to the hotel where she asked her friend if she had been raped, getting the reply: "I don’t know, but I think he touched me inside".

The friend said she did not mention the comment to police because she did not realise digital penetration was classed as rape.

Mr Accoom has pleaded guilty to fraud relating to tricking the Trilogy’s receptionist to letting him into the woman’s $300 a night room.

But he is contesting the rape charge as well as the rape intent of the burglary charge.

In his opening statement, Crown prosecutor Michael Connolly said the woman had booked the luxury room with two girlfriends but had been the first to return after a big day at the races and partying on into the night at the casino and various venues.

As she was approaching the Trilogy entrance alone about 1.30am, Mr Connolly said Accoom came up to her, asking to come up to her room, and she rebuffed him several times before being let in through the locked front door by the receptionist.

But he said Accoom followed and overheard her telling the receptionist to leave a second key out for her friend "Tash".

Mr Connelly said security footage showed Accoom talking to the receptionist and having a cigarette outside with him then going up to the woman’s room.

He said the woman woke to find her Amateurs dress, which she was still wearing, up around her breasts, and Accoom standing over her, digitally penetrating her, calling her "Tash" and begging for sex.

He said the woman fought the man off and the jury would hear blood matching Accoom’s DNA was found on the sheets and his fingerprints in the room.

Accoom was allegedly found by police at the Cairns Base Hospital where he was being treated for an injury to his mouth and jaw which the Crown submits occurred during the struggle with the woman.

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