A FLINTSHIRE chef has appeared in court accused of raping a woman who was on a night out in Chester.

The alleged attack happened in the Foregate Street area in the early hours of Sunday, July 26, 2009.

Mark Caunce, 20, is accused of raping a 29-year-old woman who had been out with friends at the city’s Cruise nightclub.

He is also charged with assaulting the female victim and then inflicting grevious bodily harm.

He had denied all three charges at a previous hearing.

Caunce, of Victoria Road, Buckley, appeared at Chester Crown Court where the case is set to get under way pending further reviews of the evidence. A jury has now been sworn in for the case.

Caunce, who works as a chef at the Best Western Queen Hotel on Chester’s City Road, is due to reappear in court later this week.

The trial is expected to last about three weeks.

The alleged victim was treated at the Countess of Chester Hospital for injuries to her face, neck and body.