A SUSPECT charged with raping a woman in her own home in Orford while she was asleep has appeared in court.

Petrus-Ionut Apostoae has been charged with two counts of rape and one of burglary in connection with the incident.

Cheshire Police had previously launched a large media appeal for information over the incident, which occurred in the early hours of Sunday, October 2.

At 5.30am, police were called to an address on Orford Lane. Officers found that a stranger had entered the house and then raped the female occupant, who had been asleep.

Detectives investigating the report confirmed last night, Tuesday, that Apostoae was arrested the day before and has since been charged.

The now 25-year-old appeared before Chester Magistrates’ Court this morning, which also happened to be his birthday.

The defendant, of Gorsey Lane in Orford, was further remanded in custody, with no application made for bail.

He is next due to appear before Liverpool Crown Court in the new year.

In the days that followed the incident, residents in the area were urged to remain vigilant by ensuring they kept windows and doors locked.

At the time, superintendent Mike Evans said: “Thankfully, attacks such as these are extremely rare – nevertheless, I would urge residents to be vigilant and make sure their homes are well secured.

“I hope that our large police presence in the area will reassurance those in the local community that we are working tirelessly to find the man responsible.”