A TUNISIAN man is accused of raping a teenage boy in his Walthamstow home.

Naoufel Jelassi, 36, is alleged to have had sex with the 15-year-old, who can not be named for legal reasons, without his consent at a house in Cecil Road.

Jelassi initially denied the charges when questioned by police but changed his plea after forensic evidence came to light.

At Snaresbrook Crown Court today (Friday), Constance Briscoe, prosecuting, said: "I suggest to you that you are telling a pack of lies. What you have said here is derisory."

Ms Briscoe told the court Jelassi had made initial contact with the teenage boy on a pornographic website in October 2007.

Jelassi claims the boy introduced himself as being a male prostitute and therefore believed him to be above the age of consent.

When quizzed about why he lied to the police he responded: "I am not clever and I'm not a professional criminal."

Speaking in court, Ian Tuttin, a teacher who lived with Jelassi at the time of the alleged offence, said:"He is a loving family man who is devoted to his wife."

Prosecuting lawyer Constance Briscoe was made famous after she wrote a controversial book Ugly, about her life and career as a barrister.

In the book, she alleges that when she was a child she was abused and neglected by her mother Carmen Briscoe-Mitchell.

Her mother unsuccessfully sued her for libel claiming the work was 'a piece of fiction.'

Jelassi's trial continues on Monday at Snaresbrook Crown Court.