Alleged attempted rape in Blackpool car park was caught on camera as friends tried to intervene

Jane Quinn said her two friends gave chase after seeing a man drag a woman onto the National Tyres and Autocare car park on Dickson Road in Blackpool.

She stayed at the scene to comfort the alleged victim, who cannot be named.

Paul Gibson, 26, of no fixed abode, denies an attempted rape in the early hours of Sunday August 20, and is on trial at Preston Crown Court.

The dashcam footage was played to the court.

Mrs Quinn said she was a back seat passenger in Aaron Pearce's Peugeot at 2.30am.

Prosecuting, Amanda Johnson said: "Did you see an incident that caused you concern?"

She said: " I saw nothing out of the ordinary at first, just two people walking, I don't know why I was looking.

" All of a sudden he dragged her down the side of this place.

"He went in front of her and was facing the back of a car park and dragged her towards him."

She was shown photographs of the scene, and told jurors the man was going backwards, pulling the woman with him.

She added: "She was struggling. I couldn't hear anything, but she was struggling."

"I said: 'Something's going on there, he's just dragged her in an alleyway'.

"Aaron said it would be nothing but I asked him to turn the car round or let me out.

"We pulled into the tyre place car park.

"They were in front of a red shutter. She was on the floor lay on her back. He was on top of her with his knees either side of her.

"She was struggling and he was trying to pull her pants down from her hips.

"Aaron shouted: 'What the f*** are you doing get off her'. I said: 'You get him and I'll get her'.

"When I got out of the car he had already started running. Aaron ran after him straight away.

" The woman was sat up. I went over to her and I got on the phone to the police. I just started cuddling her, I didn't know what to do.

"She was screaming and crying. She was frightened.

"She said: 'He tried to rape me. He asked me if I wanted a sh*g and I said no so he tried to rape me'.

"She asked if she was bleeding because he punched her. Her jaw looked funny like it was stuck out."

Her male companions then came back to the scene with the alleged attacker.

Mrs Quinn added: "When she figured out he had come back she panicked and screamed: 'Get him away from me.' She was screaming he was going to get her. She was hysterical."

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