A jilted police officer became obsessed with a woman he met on a 999 call and raped her when she tried to end their relationship, a court heard today.
PC Nicholas Stone, 40, met the woman after attending a report of domestic with her boyfriend.
He became ‘infatuated’ with her and the pair had consensual sex – often while he was on duty.
But as the relationship soured Stone began stalking her and raped her in 2001, Exeter Crown Court heard today.
The victim, who cannot be identified, claims she fell pregnant as a result of the sexual assault and later suffered a miscarriage.
Stone, who has been suspended from duties pending the trial, denied one count of rape and a further count of having sex with the same woman while on duty.
The other charges relate to wilful misconduct whilst in public office.
Michael Mather-Lees, prosecuting, said: “The case concerns the abuse of a public office by using that office improperly, and the rape of a woman.
“Both these offences are likely to raise feelings of distaste or possible preconceived notions from the jury, but emotion plays no part in judgement.
“We say that this man was using his position as a police officer, a person trusted by the complainant, to have a relationship with this woman when she was vulnerable.
“When this woman tried to end that relationship, he then went on to rape her.
“He was a serving officer in Tiverton at this time. He later moved on to work in Taunton.
“What we say is that during the course of his duty he met this woman, we are about to hear from, and took advantage of her.
“He became possessive and obsessive with her. Before eventually in July 2001 taking her to some garages behind some houses, just metres from her house and raping her there.
“Building up to this he exercised his obsession with her by being abusive and controlling toward her.”
Married Stone, of Taunton, Somerset, was a PC with Devon and Cornwall police when he met the woman in response to a domestic incident involving her then boyfriend in November 1998.
He struck up a relationship with her, which eventually turned sexual, and repeatedly met up with her whilst on duty over the following year, it is claimed.
But from May 1999, Stone became ‘obsessive’ and would stalk the woman around the town she lived, and regularly visit her at home, the court heard.
It is claimed he physically assaulted her before warning her not to speak of their relationship after she mentioned to another officer they had been seeing one another.
In January 2000, word got out about the relationship and the victim was called into the station, where she was too scared to admit it, the court heard.
The victim later discovered Stone had a wife and child, at which point she cooled the relationship.
But in July, 2001, Stone pulled alongside the woman as she walked home after a night out and ordered her to “wait there” until he returned in plain clothes on a motorbike, when he allegedly raped her by some old garages, it was claimed.
Mr Michael Mather-Lees added: “During police interview after he was arrested he refused to answer questions but instead gave a pre prepared account of what happened.
“He doesn’t deny the act of intercourse but instead says that on the night in July she whispered to him to meet her behind the garages because she wanted sex with him.
“There she performed an act of oral sex such was her desire for him, before they had consensual sex.”
The alleged rape resulted in her pregnancy but she miscarried in October 2001.
The jury of eight women and four men was shown the victims’ police interview, during which she describes her ‘nightmare’ experience which left her ‘isolated and alone’.
She said she had ‘no one to tell’ as it was the police who were doing these things to her, and that eventually she simply ‘withdrew into herself’.
When asked why she waited for Stone to return in July 2001 she said ‘it is just easier to do what you are told’.
Stone was a police constable in Tiverton for Devon and Cornwall police until July 2001 when he was transferred to Avon and Somerset police where he worked in Taunton.
His duties have currently been suspended.
The trial continues.
