By Ashlie McAnally

A MAN has gone on trial accused of raping a 14-year-old girl in Barrhead town centre.

Samuel Ciornei is accused of making the girl crawl into bushes and raping her at the back of an Iceland store on August 7 last year.

The charge includes claims that 20-year-old Ciornei took hold of her bike, grabbed her by the hair and threatened her with a piece of broken glass.

He also faces a separate assault and robbery charge for allegedly "forcibly" taking the girl's bag and stealing it.

Giving evidence at the High Court in Glasgow today, the girl – now aged 15 – described a man appearing behind her at a car park at the Iceland store.

She said the man didn't speak English but pulled a jagged piece of glass from his pocket, held it at her throat and then "gestured" for her to go into nearby bushes.

The girl, who can't be named for legal reasons, described being "scared" and said she crawled into the bushes, where she was raped.

In earlier agreed evidence, jurors heard that, after the alleged rape, the incident was reported to police and the girl later identified Ciornei as her attacker.

She told the court she had cycled to a nearby Asda store to buy some sweets and chained her bike up outside, where she saw Ciornei sitting nearby.

The girl added that, when she returned to her bike, she noticed it had a flat tyre and walked it to the car park behind the Iceland store so she could examine it.

Advocate depute Iain McSporran QC asked how long she thought she was there before she was joined by anyone.

She replied: "About 30 seconds."

The girl said the man she had seen near the Asda store appeared behind her.

Asked if she noticed anything about him, she said he had a "really distinctive" hat.

Mr McSporran asked: "Did he engage in any conversation?"

The witness replied: "No, just gestures."

The teenager said he "gestured for a bike pump."

It was stated that the man put her bike on the ground, took the dust-cap from the tyre and put it in his pocket.

The girl added: "When he put the dust-cap in his pocket, he pulled out a medium-sized piece of glass.

"It was brown and quite jagged. He then put the glass up to my throat, he grabbed my hair and then he gestured for me to go to the bushes."

Jurors heard that the man pointed to an opening in the bushes and she crawled in.

Asked why she went in, the girl said: "Because I was scared."

She described being raped and "moaning or whimpering" in a bid to let her attacker know she didn't want anything to happen.

The girl claimed Ciornei sexually assaulted her and "gestured for money," using his hands.

She said she motioned that she had money in her bag and it would be easier if they were out of the bushes.

Jurors heard that Ciornei "forced" her bag off her back and she then ran home.

The teenager described being in "quite a state," unable to breathe and "hyperventilating," and the police were called to report her ordeal.

Defence advocate Geoffrey Forbes put it to the girl that Ciornei had kissed her and they had struggled, but that was all that happened.

She replied that was incorrect.

Ciornei denies the charges and the trial before judge Kenneth Maciver QC continues.