Off-duty constable ‘more like a drunk’ than a policeman, rape trial told

A driver alleged to have been raped at the roadside by an off-duty Special Constable has said she no choice but to answer his “aggressive” questions after he twice produced his warrant card.

The woman told Wolverhampton Crown Court she was left “numb and disgusted” and had not consented to sexual activity with volunteer Metropolitan Police officer Paul Hoile, who appeared to be drunk.

The 40-year-old, from Essex, denies three counts of rape relating to the same incident, claiming consensual activity took place “without fuss” after he and a friend approached the stranger at night in Shropshire in July.

Giving evidence on Thursday, the complainant in the case said she was instructed not to drive by Hoile and told to book a taxi, leaving her feeling uncomfortable and anxious.

After questioning her about her driving licence, the woman told jurors Hoile went “from just like asking questions to ‘oh I caught you’.”

Shielded from Hoile’s view and the public gallery by a curtain, the woman told the court: “I asked ‘could I see your badge or your ID’.

“It was begrudging. He was fumbling to try and get it. I saw the card… the picture, and I saw the badge as well.

“I couldn’t see his name. After a couple more questions I was like is that actually real? On the second time… he still covered it (his name).”

During her evidence, the woman claimed Hoile was “aggressive, demanding” and “wasn’t trying to hide it” while acting in an unprofessional manner.

Asked by Caroline Goodwin KC, prosecuting, why she had answered Hoile’s questions, the woman said: “I had no choice. He is a police officer. I felt like I had to.”

She told the court Hoile’s friend had acted as a “wingman” during the questioning but “dropped that act” very quickly and himself became “scared or taken aback” after the officer took away her phone for more than a minute.

Insisting she had not given Hoile permission to carry out a sexual act, the woman said she had left the immediate area where her vehicle was because she “didn’t want him to get any more aggressive than he was already”.

“I didn’t want him anywhere near me if I could help it,” she said. “He was being aggressive and demanding.

“He was getting progressively more annoyed that I wasn’t doing what I was being told (to go to the taxi).”

The woman told the jury Hoile claimed to have saved her from an accident and mentioned that he had controlled crowds at Wembley Stadium.

Asked to recall Hoile’s manner before the alleged rapes, she said he had been “loud, annoyed, very unprofessional for a police officer … more like a drunk.”

As they walked towards the scene of the alleged assaults, the woman said Hoile, who was stumbling, remained very aggressive and domineering and “had made up his mind and that’s what was happening”.

Asked why she had not run away, the woman added: “I know my limits. I wouldn’t go far. He would catch up and then get more aggressive.”

She also stated that she had “no choice” when she performed oral sex at the roadside, had not said anything to encourage what happened, and had “humoured” her alleged attacker because she “didn’t want a repeat of him getting angry”.

Ms Goodwin asked the woman: “How did you feel after that episode with him?”

The complainant, who cannot be identified, answered: “Numb and disgusted… shocked, scared.”

During cross-examination by Hoile’s counsel, the woman denied she had consented to what took place, and rejected the suggestion that she had made a complaint because she felt “rejected and used” by him following the alleged rapes.

Prosecutors claim Hoile abused and was “hiding behind” his police powers in speaking to the woman as she prepared to drive away from him.

A transcript of a police interview with Hoile, held at Telford’s Malinsgate Police Station two days after the alleged assaults, was read to the jury.

In the interview, the officer told two detective constables he had “just made conversation” with the woman after meeting her by chance, and wasn’t using his badge “to show any force”.

Hoile told the interviewing officers: “There was no motive. I didn’t need to get involved. It was literally one of those things. I wasn’t using my powers.

“I didn’t put myself on duty… there was no caution, there was nothing. I said ‘If you don’t think you’re insured, just get a taxi’.

“I forced her to do absolutely nothing – nothing at all, zero. I would never ever force anyone to do anything.”

Hoile, of The Chase, Benfleet, denies misconduct in public office, three counts of oral and anal rape, and a charge of causing a person to engage in sexual activity without consent.

The trial continues.