Woman 'straddled officer for sex in police car'

Sgt Lee Cocking was driving an unmarked silver Vauxhall Astra when he picked the woman up and drove her home

A police officer has told a court it felt like an "outer body experience" when a woman straddled him for sex in his squad car as he drove her home.

Sgt Lee Cocking said he was "only being publicly spirited" by giving the woman a lift on Christmas Eve 2017.

He told a jury at Gloucester Crown Court she pulled down her underwear and forced herself on him as he drove her to Weston-super-Mare.

Sgt Cocking, of Labourham Way, Cheddar, denies misconduct in public office.

The 40-year-old police sergeant told the court he had seen the woman twice earlier in the evening as he was on patrol.

'Separated from friends'

Sgt Cocking said he was called to an incident near Skinny Dippers night spot at 03:05 GMT after the woman had been asked to leave the club.

He told the court: "She had become separated from her friends who were going to give her a lift home."

The jury heard that Sgt Cocking told the woman that if she failed to find her friends he would take her home if she flagged him down, which she did later in the evening.

Sgt Cocking said he felt obliged to take her home and that when the woman went to kiss him, he put his hand up to stop her.

'Pulled down underwear'

"I then noticed that she had pulled down her jeans and underwear when she started saying she wanted sex with me," he said.

The court heard that Sgt Cocking then drove to the woman's address, where he said she forced herself on him in his unmarked police car.

He said: "She just launched herself across the car. I hadn't encouraged her.

"She then told me to 'man up' as she got one leg out of her trousers and got on top of me, straddling me. It was like an outer body experience."

The trial continues.