A police officer has been cleared by a jury in Edinburgh of raping a woman and a six-year-old girl after doubts emerged about the dates of the alleged attacks. Martyn Coulter, 36, a Police Scotland constable currently on suspension, was found not guilty of six of the charges by verdicts and a seventh charge was not proven – a verdict of acquittal, after the jury deliberated for nearly four hours.
Sounds like that was three hours longer than needed:
He said that the second alleged rape of the woman at his former home in Dunbar at lunchtime in September 2013 “could not have happened” as he was in Hampshire taking part in military police training. His alleged victim, now 36, has claimed he wanted sex with her to celebrate his forthcoming posting to Afghanistan and forced himself on her, but Coulter said he only discovered he was going there in November. The court also heard evidence she went on a night out with him later that day.
What on earth possessed them to go to trial with this?
Duguid challenged the prosecution’s account by producing Google maps, timelines, bank statements and social media posts showing Coulter’s locations on the day of the alleged rape in September 2013. His army records showed he had been on an army training course for most of the month.
Someone should be investigated for this.
Oh, wait. Someone will...but not, of course, who you'd think:
Police Scotland said: “The officer remains suspended and, given that criminal proceedings have concluded, the matter will now be assessed for misconduct by Police Scotland’s professional standards department.”
Translation: "We couldn't get you for that but we still want our pound of flesh..."
4 comments:
Well, JuliaM, an 'innocent party' was victimised by an incompetent prosecution service, eh?
And I would agree with you, were I so equally gullible as to completely dismiss all notions of corrupt colleagues manipulating witness statements to compromise foreseeable proceedings brought against 'there' good chum.
Once they have it in for you … dot dot dot.
So it wasn't thrown out? Wow!
"...were I so equally gullible as to completely dismiss all notions of corrupt colleagues manipulating witness statements to compromise foreseeable proceedings brought against 'there' good chum."
And falsifying written historical records too? Did you never see the episode of 'X Files' where Scully gives her opinion on the efficacy of government led conspiracy?
"Once they have it in for you … dot dot dot."
Quite!
"So it wasn't thrown out? Wow!"
Well, with the case I'm going to put up at 10:30 tomorrow, it seems we've no basis to sneer at justice south of the border either...
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