A masked man brutally raped a woman who was suffering from cancer before returning to the scene to comfort her, a court heard.

Richard Day, 21, of Greenmere, Brightwell-cum-Sotwell, near Wallingford, denies two counts of rape.

Dr Jane Mortensen, who examined the 20-year-old victim, told Oxford Crown Court that the injuries were among the worst she had seen during nine years of rape examination work.

She said: "They were brutal and very severe."

The court heard the woman had since died from cancer, which she had suffered for several years.

Martin Wilson QC, prosecuting, said Day had gone to a Didcot house in the early hours of May 18 where the victim was babysitting for a friend. He said Day dragged her into the garden before tying her up, raping her twice, beating her and cutting and shaving off her hair which had recently grown back following chemotherapy. Daly told police he saw someone running away from the scene before she let him in.

Police found a navy blue balaclava and a black woollen hat and a used contraceptive during the search of his room.

The case continues.