Woman 'felt she had no choice' after Plymouth rape, court hears

Mr Stansbury denies three counts of rape

A woman who has accused a police officer of rape said she "felt obliged to let him do whatever he wanted", a court has been told.

David Stansbury is accused of raping the woman after visiting her Plymouth home to respond to an attempted break-in in 2009.

Bristol Crown Court heard Mr Stansbury allegedly raped the woman on three separate occasions.

Mr Stansbury, 43, of Ilminster, Somerset, denies three counts of rape.

The former constable in the Devon and Cornwall police force was based at Devonport at the time of the alleged rapes in Plymouth in October and November 2009.

Mr Stansbury allegedly raped the woman on a sofa, and the jury were told he exploited the woman's vulnerability after spotting cocaine and alcohol in the flat, as she feared losing her children if social services were told.

'Extremely chaotic'

The woman said she was addicted to both cocaine and alcohol and the court heard her life was "chaotic".

Miss Jennifer Tallantire, for the defence, asked about the alleged three visits Mr Stansbury made to the woman's home after his initial 999 response.

She told the jury that she felt she had to let him again in so he would not report her after he saw the drugs.

She said: "I felt obliged to let him do whatever he wanted."

The woman added she "felt like I had no choice".

The defence also asked about five separate occasions between 2008 and 2023 when the woman made various allegations and reports to the police including rape.

She denied they were false allegations, and said her life had been "extremely chaotic" at times.

The jury heard that in 2022 she had a diagnosis of schizophrenia, borderline personality disorder and PTSD.

The allegations against Mr Stansbury were reported to his former force, Devon and Cornwall Police, in September 2020.

Mr Stansbury is currently a serving police sergeant with Hertfordshire Police but is suspended from duty.

The trial continues.