Police officer ‘raped woman then pushed her downstairs’
A police officer allegedly raped a woman and then pushed her down the stairs, a court has heard.
Martyn Coulter is on trial at the High Court in Edinburgh accused of raping and assaulting the woman at an address in East Lothian in 2013.
He is also charged with ra ping, sexually assaulting and threatening a girl aged under 13.
Coulter, 36, denies all the charges against him.
Giving evidence, a witness told the court how Coulter is alleged to have raped her following an angry confrontation after he finished his shift as a police officer.
"It was very bizarre," she said. "His face was shaking, vibrating almost. He pushed me back on the bed. He was immediately in front of me. it hough tit was a bit strange, I remember thinking, 'This is bizarre'."
The witness was asked if she had said anything to Coulter or challenged him. she said :" it was so quick. He just didn't say anything." Prosecution Advocate Depute Kath Harper asked her: "Did he ask you if you wanted to have sex?”
The witness, who cannot be named for legal reasons, replied: "No."
Ms harper asked her :" did you want to have sex?"
The witness responded: "No. It wasn't an appropriate thing to do at that time. There was no build-up, or kissing or cuddling."
She said they had a further angry confrontation and then he" suddenly" pushed her down the stairs. The woman said: "I remember thinking, 'You have just pushed me '. suddenly, i was at the bottom of the stairs."
The witness said she did not remember feeling hurt.
The court then heard about another incident in which coulter is alleged to have raped and assaulted the woman in 2013 at his flat in Edinburgh. He had recently been told he would be going on a tour of duty of Afghanistan as a member of the Territorial Army, the court heard.
The witness told the court :" he was really excited and I thought that was great, that was what he had wanted to do. He wanted to celebrate by having sex."
Mr Coulter is charged with three counts of assaulting the witness between June 2013 and November 2014 at addresses in East Lothian and Edinburgh as well as further two counts of rape and one of threatening behaviour.
The trial continues.