Grime star Solo 45 'choked woman with coat collar until she passed out'

16 December 2019, 20:10

Solo 45 is accused of 22 counts of rape
Solo 45 is accused of 22 counts of rape. Picture: PA

By Kate Buck

A grime artist accused of 22 counts of rape choked a woman with her coat collar before raping her when she regained consciousness, a court has heard.

Andy Anokye, 32, who performs under the stage name Solo 45, met one of his alleged victims, who is not being named for legal reasons, in a nightclub in Bristol.

Days later, he allegedly held her against her will at his flat in the city where he raped her.

She told police how Anokye "just got really angry out of nowhere" and told her she could not leave.

He then questioned her about previous contact with other men, before pouring bleach on a cloth.

She said he told her: "If you pass out, then you're gonna wake up and think you're in a horror film".

The woman said Anokye then placed the cloth over her nose and mouth, which left her skin "burning" and red.

Andy Anokye, who performs as Solo 45, allegedly choked a woman with her coat collar
Andy Anokye, who performs as Solo 45, allegedly choked a woman with her coat collar. Picture: PA

She described how she had been wearing a coat with a large collar on, which Anokye grabbed and "pulled it tight" around her neck.

"I don't know how long that was but I lost consciousness. When I came back, I started having a panic attack, so I was breathing really fast and crying," she said.

The woman said Anokye then instructed her to unlock her iPhone, which he looked through before spitting in her face and slapping her.

She claimed he punched and kicked the woman before unleashing a sexual attack.

Jurors were told Anokye used a blender to prop up his mobile phone to film the sexual activity, and told her: "It'd be funny if we put your hand in the blender, wouldn't it?".

Anokye then told the woman to leave his flat and accompanied her to the car park of his apartment block.

He is on trial at Bristol Crown Court
He is on trial at Bristol Crown Court. Picture: PA

He then is claimed to have said: "There's hardly any people in this world that I hate, but you're one of them.

"And when I say hate, I associate hate with death. And your parents shouldn't bury you."

He allegedly said he could "pay people off" and implied he had friends who would "come after" her, the woman said.

Anokye denies 31 charges against him at Bristol Crown Court.

The charges, relating to four complainants, include 22 counts of rape and five counts of false imprisonment.

He also denies two charges of assault by penetration and two charges of assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

Christopher Quinlan QC, prosecuting, previously told the jury that Anokye "imprisoned, assaulted, sexually violated and raped" the four complainants in the case.

Police examining three mobile phones and a laptop found at Anokye's home after his arrest discovered searches for "dacryphilia".

Jurors have been told this is sexual arousal from another's tears.

Anokye, of Millennium Promenade, Bristol, denies all the charges against him and the trial continues.