A man who offered to walk a woman home only to twice rape her is facing a lengthy jail term.

Robert Mills subjected his victim to her ordeal in his "extremely dirty and untidy" caravan after they met on a night out in New Romney.

A court heard that having led her through woodland, at one point revealing a knife, they reached the mobile home where he ordered her inside and to strip.

The woman initially refused but then, scared by the sight of a second knife on a counter and fearing he would kill her, she undressed.

Mills, of Hardy Road, Greatstone, then raped her as she tried to fight him off, scratching him and pushing his face.

She was also crying, telling him “no” and to stop.

The victim was eventually able to flee the caravan and phoned a relative "bawling her eyes out hysterically", a jury heard at Canterbury Crown Court.

She later told police she had not had any conversation with Mills about going to his caravan to have sex.

Mills was arrested a few hours later. Two knives were found – one in his jacket pocket and the other driven into the caravan toilet door.

He told police he and the woman had "hit it off" and she agreed to go back to his home where they had consensual sex.

The 28-year-old also claimed she had given him a love bite on his neck.

Mills denied two offences of rape but was convicted of both by a majority verdict of 11-1 on Friday.

“She realised she was walking in some woods with someone she didn't know who was in possession of a knife...”

Sentencing was adjourned by Judge Catherine Brown until December 8 for the preparation of a psychiatric report and one to assess dangerousness. Mills was remanded in custody.

Prosecutor Dominic Connolly told the jury at the start of the trial that Mills and the victim had not known each other prior to their meeting in August 2019.

During their evening together, they had been drinking and kissing and also swapped phone numbers.

Mills then offered to walk her home, saying he would take her through some woods as it would be quicker.

"She felt it was not somewhere she would want to walk on her own but because she was with Mr Mills she thought that would be OK," said Mr Connolly.

En route, they chatted and kissed some more, before Mills took a flick knife from his pocket and showed it to her, using the torch on his phone.

"Perhaps unsurprisingly this unnerved her. She realised she was walking in some woods with someone she didn't know who was in possession of a knife," continued the prosecutor.

The court heard that when they emerged from the woods, the woman did not know her whereabouts and having followed Mills's directions ended up at his run-down caravan.

"He told her to go inside. She described the interior as being extremely untidy and dirty and she saw a second knife on one of the counters, which unnerved her," said Mr Connolly.

"He told her to undress. She told him that she didn't want to. She was scared because of the two knives she had seen and felt she couldn't argue – so she did as he said.

"He then pushed her back onto what she thought was a bed. She said she was crying and she fought him, trying to scratch him to get him off her as well as pushing his face.

"She told him 'no' and to stop."

Having been raped twice, the woman immediately stood up, dressed and tried to leave but the door appeared to be locked, so she asked MIlls to let her out.

The court heard he told her he wanted her to stay the night but did eventually let her out.

The woman fled, only to be followed a short distance by Mills. She continued running and then phoned a relative for help.

"Initially she was quiet but then she started bawling her eyes out hysterically," said Mr Connolly. "She then said 'OK, I'm just going to say it. I've been raped' and continued to be extremely upset."

Recalling the moment Mills pulled out a knife in the woods, the prosecutor told the court: "She explained how the knife scared her and she was scared he would kill her with it."

Mills was arrested just over two hours later at his caravan.

He told police the woman had agreed to go back with him and that while he carried a knife "for protection" he denied revealing it to her in the woods.

Mills claimed she performed a sex act on him during the walk and then they had sex at the caravan. He denied she was crying and saying "no".

He agreed he asked her to stay but told police she refused because "the place was a mess". Mills said he offered to walk her home but she then left on her own.

The court heard Mills was a "heavy cannabis user" and has been on an anti-psychotic drug while in custody on remand.

Adjourning sentence, Judge Brown said: "I will want to know a lot more about Mr Mills because these are serious offences."