Former Police Officer Faces Rape Trial

Lewis McCracken, a former police officer, is currently on trial, facing accusations of repeatedly raping a woman at his apartment following an evening out. During a police video interview presented to jurors at Peterborough Crown Court, the woman characterized Mr. McCracken as “quite a strong guy.” The woman, 27, testified that he seized the back of her hair, prompting her to “said ‘Lewis, no’ repeatedly, maybe four, five times to the point my neck felt like it was going to snap.” Mr. McCracken, formerly associated with Bedfordshire Police, has pleaded not guilty to three charges of rape and two charges of sexually assaulting the woman. These alleged incidents reportedly occurred at his Bedford flat in November 2022, at which time he was still serving as a police officer. The woman recounted that she, Mr. McCracken, and a male friend had spent an evening visiting pubs. Towards the end of the night, she and her friend attempted to walk to the train station to return home but “didn’t know where we were going.” She stated that Mr. McCracken, being more acquainted with the locality, accompanied them. While they were walking, she said he “pointed out a door, said ‘that’s my flat, I need a wee'”. According to the woman, they entered Mr. McCracken’s apartment for him to use the restroom. Her friend then sat on the sofa and “fell asleep instantly.” Testimony in court indicated that Mr. McCracken proposed that the woman stay overnight at his flat. The woman stated that Mr. McCracken repeatedly took her hand and placed it on himself, and she “didn’t know how to stop this and I felt very trapped.” She recalled telling him, “Lewis, you’ve got a girlfriend,” to which “he didn’t respond.” Prosecutor Simon Ward asserted that the woman “kept saying no but he just ignored her.” The woman described an initial incident, followed by a second one later, when she was “woken up to Lewis grabbing the back of my hair.” The barrister commented, “He was too strong for her, he’s a powerful, well-built man.” When questioned during a police interview about why she did not depart the apartment, the woman responded that she was “sort of frozen in that moment.” She stated that she had consumed three alcoholic beverages at one pub and additional drinks at another pub earlier that evening, and while she “felt merry, I felt tipsy,” she affirmed that she “could walk in a straight line, I wasn’t slurring my words.” The trial, which is projected to span five days, is ongoing.