Police officer accused of rape ‘abused his position’, High Court told

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A police officer accused of raping and assaulting a woman and a young child “abused his position”, a prosecutor has told jury members.

Martyn Coulter, 36, is on trial at the High Court in Edinburgh accused of raping a woman and assaulting her three times between June 2013 and November 2014 at addresses in East Lothian and Edinburgh.

He is further charged with raping and sexually assaulting a girl under 13.

Advocate depute Kath Harper told jury members in her closing speech on Monday that Coulter had abused his position as a police officer and presented himself as a respectable member of the community who was interested in helping his country.

She urged the nine men and six women of the jury to convict Coulter based on the rule of mutual corroboration.

Coulter is currently suspended from his role as a constable with Police Scotland.

Defending Coulter, Ian Duguid KC told jury members as part of his closing speech, concluding four days of evidence from seven witnesses, it was “not a good time” to be a police officer faced with an allegation of rape.

Mr Duguid said there was interest in this case due to a former Metropolitan Police officer being jailed for raping his former flatmate.

Mr Duguid said: “(This case) is nothing to do with him (Coulter) being a police officer.

“It is not a great time to be a police officer, and it is not a great time to be a police officer on trial for rape.”

Mr Duguid told the jury that Coulter had clear documentary evidence including Google maps, timelines, bank statements and army records to suggest he had not been at any of the locations where the events are alleged to have taken place.

But Ms Harper said the jury should ignore these because they do not prove the events did not take place.

In her direction, Judge Lady Drummond told the jury there was sufficient evidence to convict Coulter, but they should consider the evidence for each of the charges.

Coulter denies all of the charges and had lodged special defences of being in England on an army training course between September 6 and 21 2013.

The jury has retired to consider its verdict.