A former Metropolitan Police officer who served in the same command as Wayne Couzens has been found guilty of rape. Mark Tyrrell, 57, was convicted at Southwark Crown Court of one count of rape, three counts of sexual assault and one count of perverting the course of justice after attempting to delete messages he had sent to the victim.
The court heard that Tyrrell had sex with the woman, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, despite her repeatedly telling him no. He then asked her: "Do you realise that what I've just done, that was rape?" Prosecutor Catherine Farrelly KC said that when the woman resisted his advances and "he simply chose to take what he wanted".
Officers found him hiding beside victim's bed
Alarm bells were raised when officers visiting the woman's home on an unrelated matter found Tyrrell hiding beside her bed. In messages sent to the woman, Tyrrell apologised for "being a sex offender" and "for ruining your life by being in it".
Tyrrell, of Meltham, West Yorkshire, had been attached to the Met's Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command, the same unit in which Couzens and David Carrick also served, the BBC reports.
He claimed sex was consensual
The 57-year-old claimed that sex between him and the woman had been consensual, insisting there had "never been any forcefulness to it". He had already admitted misconduct in public office and a separate count of perverting the course of justice after persuading the woman to lie to the police about why he was in her bedroom.
He resigned from the Metropolitan Police in September 2023 after being arrested and suspended. Tyrrell was cleared of a further count of rape, four counts of assault by penetration and eight counts of sexual assault.
Sentencing set for December 16
He will be sentenced on December 16. Reacting to the guilty verdict, Chief Superintendent Sara Leach said: "This kind of conduct is abhorrent but even more so when it is carried out by a serving officer, who had gained the trust of the victim. We remain appalled that someone like this was serving within our organisation and it is right he has been brought to justice."
