South Yorkshire Police officer Rowan Horrocks accused of rape

A jury at Leeds Crown Court was told the victim had been "in no fit state to consent to anything"

A police officer raped a woman after pressuring her to spend the night at his house when she was "drunk and vulnerable," a court was told.

PC Rowan Horrocks is accused of biting the victim and pulling out of a clump of her hair during a violent attack in Rotherham in November 2021.

Prosecutor Gillian Batts told Leeds Crown Court the victim had been "in no fit state to consent to anything".

PC Horrocks, 27, from South Yorkshire Police, denies two counts of rape.

The officer knew the complainant and had exchanged "flirtatious" messages with her in the weeks before the incident, the court heard.

Jurors were told the woman had been out with a friend on the night of the alleged attack and had drunk at least a bottle of wine, as well as vodka and sambuca shots.

Ms Batts said PC Horrocks had repeatedly messaged the woman during the night to ask her to come back to his house and was "persistent", paying £87 for a taxi to pick her up and take her to his Rotherham home at around 03:00 GMT.

In a police interview played in court, the woman said she told PC Horrocks three times she had no intention of having sex with him, and thought they were going to "just chill out".

She told officers: "I knew Rowan, I knew where he worked. There was a level of trust, I didn't anticipate anything like this would happen."

'Predatory behaviour'

The court heard the woman told PC Horrocks she was "absolutely pissed up" and "wasn't prepared for sex".

She told interviewing detectives she felt sick and was unable to speak during the taxi ride to his house and has only "snapshots" of memories after arriving.

During the alleged attack, she said PC Horrocks had bitten her "really hard" and pulled her hair.

The woman told police: "It really hurt but I couldn't physically say anything. I couldn't say no.

"I was crying, I just wanted it to stop but I physically couldn't get the words out of my mouth."

Jurors saw pictures of the alleged victim showing bruising to her neck and breasts after the alleged attack.

The court heard she sent PC Horrocks a photo of her injuries with the caption "you annihilated me".

He replied: "Oh dear."

Ms Batts said: "This is not something which is sometimes described as rough sex.

"The prosecution say this was deliberate infliction of pain upon the complainant."

The prosecutor added the defendant had shown "premeditated, predatory behaviour" towards a "drunk young woman who he knew was attracted to him".

After his arrest, PC Horrocks provided a prepared statement saying the woman seemed "merry and not drunk" and that he had "asked her for consent at each stage".

"His case is that she was a willing participant and she effectively made up this allegation because he used her for sex," Ms Batts said.

PC Horrocks has been suspended by South Yorkshire Police and faces misconduct proceedings.

The trial continues.