A MAN from Cardigan is on trial accused of raping a 12-year-old girl.

Nathan Griffiths, now 33, faces two allegations of raping a child under the age of 13 between January 19, 2014, and January 20, 2015.

Both allegations involved the same child.

At Swansea Crown Court, Griffiths, of Golwg Y Castell, pleaded not guilty to each charge.

Opening the case, prosecutor Robin Rouch said that the alleged offences took place at a property in the Newcastle Emlyn area, when the complainant was alone with the defendant.

They had been playing a video game together, Mr Rouch said, before the defendant asked multiple times for “oral sex” – to which the complainant refused.

“She was refusing to do what he wanted but there came a point he forced her to do so,” Mr Rouch said.

The prosecution allege Griffiths forced the complainant to perform oral sex on him, before raping her.

Mr Rouch said that the defendant threatened he would get someone to injure the complainant’s mum if she said anything about the incident.  

Since the incident, the defendant sent the complainant messages across various social media platforms, the prosecution say, even after she told him to stop and had blocked his accounts.

The police were made aware of the allegations in 2020, after the complainant reported them around the time of her 18th birthday.

The defendant was arrested on May 20, 2020, and initially answered no comment, before then denying the offences.

The trial continues.