A man has gone on trial for subjecting his elderly aunt to a three hour sexual attack at her home in Louth two years ago.

The accused, who cannot be named to protect the identity of his 73-year-old aunt, pleaded not guilty at the Central Criminal Court to two charges of rape, one of anal rape, sexual assault and sexual assault while armed with a knife on March 13, 2011.

Michael Delaney SC, prosecuting, told the jury it will hear evidence that the man called to his aunt’s house shortly after 7am that morning. It was their second meeting after they had met for the first time earlier that month.

She went into the kitchen to make a cup of tea and it is alleged that the man covered her mouth with his hand, put a knife to her throat and pulled her back into the sitting room.

Counsel said the jury will hear that the man pushed the woman onto her back and tried to take down her trousers and underwear. She pulled them back up again but the accused threatened her with the knife.

It is alleged that the man then raped the woman before he instructed her to get on all fours and had sex with her again.

Counsel said the woman would testify that she could not see what the man was doing but described her “backside” as being sore afterwards.

It is alleged that the accused then dragged the woman by her hair into her bedroom before he tore off her top and bra and had sex with her again.

Mr Delaney told the jury it would hear evidence that the man had anal sex with the woman again before he went into the kitchen to get a tub of butter which he then rubbed into the complainant.

The jury were told that the whole incident went on for “some considerable period of time” and the woman will allege her nephew was in the house for three hours.

Counsel said the accused “eventually relented” when the woman said she wanted a cup of tea. He got up, got dressed and left the house before allegedly warning the woman not to tell anyone.

The woman immediately called her niece for help and she later came to the house with another relative who convinced her to call the gardaí.

Counsel said she was later examined at a sexual assault treatment unit in a nearby hospital and medical reports conclude that there were redness and abrasions to her vaginal area with “some degree of oozing”.

The report also concluded that there was some injury to the woman’s anal area which the doctor concluded was consistent with sexual assault.

The trial continues before Mr Justice Garrett Sheehan and jury of six men and six women.