PSNI rape trial: 'No defence for disregarding sexual consent'

A man has been handed a five-year sentence for raping and sexually assaulting a woman while he was a serving police officer.

He will spend two-and-a-half-years in custody, with a similar period on supervised licence.

The 55-year-old man was found guilty earlier in the year of two counts of rape and two counts of sexual assault.

He has not been named for legal reasons. He was dismissed from the police in May.

PSNI Det Supt Lindsay Fisher said it was the first time someone in Northern Ireland had been convicted of rape "by stealth" following an allegation they removed a condom during sex.

"There is no defence for disregarding sexual consent. Without consent, it is rape," the detective told reporters outside court.