A man accused of  breaking into a pensioner's home and allegedly raping and attempting to murder her whispered "I like you, I will kill you" as he strangled her, a court has heard.

The trial of Robert Richards, 22, began at Kingston Crown Court today.

Mr Richards is charged with rape, attempted rape, attempted murder and causing grievous bodily harm, following a violent attack on a woman in her 70s in Chessington on October 23, 2013.

Opening the case, prosecutor Jonathan Loades told a jury of seven women and five men: "In the early hours of the morning, somewhere between 5.30am and 6.30am, [the alleged victim] was lying in bed and was disturbed by an intruder, who got in through a window.

"She tried to get away but he pulled her to the floor and raped her."

He said Richards also strangled her "in her own home, in her own bedroom.

"She was badly beaten and suffered all sorts of injuries."

Mr Loades added: "During the attack the intruder said: 'I like you, I like you, I will kill you.

"He had gloved hands, and had his hands around her throat."

Mr Loades claimed that Mr Richards then left the house and boarded a bus towards Eel Pie Island in Twickenham, where he was working on a building site.

The victim suffered a broken jaw, a bleed on the brain, a fracture below the eye, a broken hip, several fractured vertebrae and 10 broken ribs.

She required two separate operations, one to repair her hip and the other to mend her jaw.

The jury was shown pictures of the woman in hospital shortly after the attack.

After his arrest, blood stains found on a pair of tracksuit bottoms Mr Richards wore to work that day were found to match the blood of the victim, Mr Lourdes said.

The court heard that Mr Richards told police officers in his interview following his arrest that he found the tracksuit bottoms while on the way to the bus stop, and put them on because it was raining.

Mr Richards, a father of one, denies all charges.

The trial continues.