A police officer has denied sexually assaulting a woman, claiming she was too drunk to have done it, a court heard. Police constable Fiona Anderson, 33, is accused of forcing herself on the complainant after getting into her bed following a night out in Cardiff in 2018.
Officer's account of the night
A trial at Bristol Crown Court previously heard the officer told the alleged victim: "I know the law and I need you to say yes", which she denies. It is also alleged Anderson began kissing and biting the woman before removing her underwear.
Giving evidence, Anderson, who is an officer for Devon and Cornwall Police, told the jury her memory of events that night was hazy due to the amount of alcohol she had drunk. "I was very drunk so I can’t recall a huge amount about that night," she said. "I remember leaving and going upstairs and I vaguely remember getting into bed. I don’t recall specifically saying I want to have sex. I wouldn’t have bitten her, no."
Anderson was asked whether she would have performed oral sex and she replied: "I don’t think I would have, no. Because I was really drunk." Jenny Tallentire, defending, asked: "Would you have done anything if she was not wanting it?" She replied: "No, I wouldn’t have done anything if she didn’t want it, absolutely not."
Prosecution cross-examination
Anderson denied she had said to the woman: "I know the law and I need you to say yes." After the alleged sexual assault, Anderson told the jury that she went to the bathroom to be sick and the complainant followed her to tell her to be quiet. "I can’t remember, I think she was quite annoyed, which is understandable. Because I was very drunk and being sick," Anderson said.
Under cross-examination, Emma Martin, prosecuting, suggested the alleged assaults had happened after Anderson started "putting these horrible, slobbery, drunken kisses on her". "You were telling her in no uncertain terms you wanted sex," Miss Martin said. "I doubt I would have said that," Anderson replied. "As I said, I was drunk. I don’t recall everything that happened that evening."
Miss Martin went on: "You put your fingers on the outside of her vagina when you said: ‘I need you to say yes. I know the law’. You said: ‘I know the law. I need you to say yes’." Anderson replied: "I would never say anything like that." She denied she had twice sexually assaulted the complainant. "I said I don’t recall every single detail of that evening. I know I wouldn’t do anything that I didn’t think she would consent to," she told the jury. She denied she was "frustrated" that night and that the woman would not give her consent.
Charges and status
Anderson, who has been a police officer since 2015, denies two charges of sexual assault. She has been suspended from duty since her arrest. The trial continues.
