A woman who says she was raped by a man she met on a Christian dating website described the alleged assault in detail Wednesday, taking the witness stand to tell of how her potential suitor overpowered and assaulted her during a first date in her apartment.
“I lost it. I couldn’t believe that was happening," the woman – referred to only as “K.K." -- said during the trial against her alleged attacker. "I, at the top of my lungs, screamed, ‘please.’”
The woman said she met 38-year-old Sean Banks of Del Mar on ChristianMingle.com. The two met in person for the first time when Banks – who told K.K. his name was Rylan – came to her La Mesa apartment on Nov. 21, 2012.
“I believed in God, scripture, going to church, reading the Bible, and I wanted someone who had those same interests and to share those things together,” K.K. said.
Prosecutor David Williams III said they were sitting on the couch, kissing, when Banks overpowered K.K. Banks then dragged her down the hallway and raped her in the bedroom, the prosecution said.
“Suddenly, the defendant reaches over, puts his arm on her, takes his hand, jams it down the inside of her pants and digitally penetrates her vagina with his finger,” William said during his opening statement.
“She didn’t want it. She didn’t ask for it. She was terrified,” Williams said.
However, defense attorney Brian White said Banks thought the sex was consensual.
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“’I thought things were progressing, but all of a sudden, she yells at the top of her lungs for me to stop, and it scared me. This woman is frightening me,’” White said on behalf of his client.
Williams said Banks left immediately and sent text messages to K.K., saying he was lost and that they’d have to meet another time. The prosecution believes he was trying to cover his tracks, making it seem like he had never been to her apartment in the first place.
“She thought the defendant meant, ‘sorry I got lost,’ as in, ‘sorry I got lost from a proper Christian path and I did what I did,’” Williams said.
During Wednesday’s opening statements, the defense and the prosecution also talked about the second alleged victim, known as “R.O.,” who claims Banks raped her in May 2009 after meeting on Match.com. R.O. came forward after seeing Banks on the news after his February 2013 arrest.
The defense tried to discredit R.O.’s credibility.
“Despite being in what she described as a ‘complete blackout,’ she just happened to come to at the very moment that Mr. Banks was having sex with her,” White said. “At that moment, her recollection is crystal clear.”
White said R.O. became upset and threatened Banks after he stopped responding to her text messages.
“She sent him a text message that said, ‘you better get back to me. And you know what? You essentially date raped me the other night,’” White said.
R.O. is expected to testify Thursday.
Banks is charged with forcible rape, rape of an unconscious person, sex with a foreign object and burglary. If convicted, he faces 44 years to life in prison.
Prosecutors said he used a number of aliases in the online dating world, including Rarity, Rylan, Rylan Butterwood and Rylan Harbough. The defense said Rylan was a name Banks actually used in real life.
