LIVE: UKFast founder Lawrence Jones goes on trial accused of drugging and raping two women at Salford flat in 1990s

UKFast founder Lawrence Jones has gone on trial accused of rape. Mr Jones, 55, of Brooks Drive in Hale Barns, denies two allegations made by two women during the 1990s.

Mr Jones is standing trial at Manchester Crown Court. The first rape count alleges he had sex with a woman in late 1993 knowing she did not consent or being reckless as to whether she consented.

The second rape count alleges he had sex with another woman between a date in 1993 and another in 1994 knowing she did not consent or being reckless as to whether she consented.

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Judge Sarah Johnston, swearing a jury in on Monday afternoon, told the jurors the trial was estimated to last two weeks. Eloise Marshall opened the case for the prosecution on Tuesday morning.

We'll bring you live updates from Manchester Crown Court in the blog below...

After a break for lunch, the jurors are back in court and they are now watching a police video interview of Woman A, which was conducted on January 8, 2021.

The woman, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, told the interviewing officer she recalled having a conversation about her love life, and the defendant was said to have told her: "You need a damn good seeing to, you need a good f***ing don’t you?"

Woman A told the interviewing officer: "I just thought who the f*** do you think you are?"

She said she thought Mr Jones was an 'arrogant Tory'.

"I didn’t like him," she said.

The second alleged rape victim, Woman B, recalled that Mr Jones was 'well known' in pubs in Manchester because he played piano, the jurors were told.

Woman B told police the