A man accused of preying on lone women in the dark and strangling them unconscious before robbing them has appeared in court.

The trial of Temman Dias, 25, of Parkham Street, Battersea, was stopped two weeks ago when the prosecutor in the case contracted swine flu.

Mr Dias used cover of darkness to approach his victims from behind before grabbing them by the throat, the prosecution alleges. As they lay unconscious he stole their handbags.

Mr Dias appeared at Kingston Crown Court on Tuesday and pleaded not guilty to seven charges of robbery.

A 16-year-old boy from Mitcham, who cannot be named, pleaded not guilty to involvement in the last attack.

Prosecuting, Christopher Hehir, said all robberies had “striking” similarities.

He said all incidents took place within close a proximity and used the same method.

He said: “In every case the female victim was attacked from behind.

"Her neck was placed in an arm lock, and she was choked or strangled into unconsciousness.”

The attacks, which were carried out between August 2007 and October 2008, targeted lone women in the Battersea area.

One woman, who was hidden from the defendants by a curtain when she gave evidence on Wednesday, said she was approached from behind and lifted off the floor when she was attacked in September 2008.

She said: “He pulled me up off the ground so I my feet were off the floor.”

When she woke up she saw the attacker running off with her bag, she said.

Another victim was walking back home on Westbridge Road on September 21, 2008 after a night out with friends in a pub.

Mr Hehir, reading the court a statement from the victim, said: "Just before I lost consciousness I thought to myself that this was the end of things. I was so scared.”

Police raided Mr Dias’s home hours after the last attack on October 3, 2008.

On a bed where Mr Dias and the 16-year-old were resting, fully clothed, police found property belonging to some of the victims, one of the items was a rare lighter, which belonged to one of the victims, Mr Hehir said, adding evidence from the attacks was found on a roof adjacent to the house.

The trial continues.