NYPD officers charged with raping woman in police van
Two NYPD police officers have been charged with first-degree rape for forcing sex on a handcuffed 18-year-old woman inside a police van in Brooklyn.
Cops Eddie Martins and Richard Hall will turn themselves in next week for arraignment according to sources.
Both officers work narcotics in south Brooklyn and will face a mandatory minimum sentence of three years in prison and a maximum of 25 years if convicted of the rape.
On Thursday the grand jury voted to charge the officers after a week of testimony that included the victim taking the stand. She told the court that the men had non-consensual sex with her.
The attack allegedly occurred on September 15 of this year after she was arrested for possession of marijuana and an anti-anxiety medication.
The officers drove to a Coney Island parking lot where both forced her to perform oral sex on them and Martins raped her. Both men are being charged with rape because in New York, both can be charged with a felony even if they did not physically commit the act but acted in concert with a co-defendant who did the crime.
— Joy Behar calls out Van Jones: ‘F*ck your kumbaya!’ —
Officers Martins and Hall have told colleagues that the sex was consensual.
Martins lawyer, Mark Bederow said, “The dynamic will change when there are court proceedings. The allegations repeatedly and publicly alleged by the plaintiff’s lawyer will need to be supported by credible evidence and withstand scrutiny.”
The woman’s lawyer issued a statement saying, “Based on The Post’s story, this validates what my client has always said – that she was kidnapped, handcuffed, brutally raped and then thrown onto the street by two on-duty officers.
“We would expect the police commissioner to take immediate action in firing these two officers.
“Additionally, we request that all this shaming and smearing of the victim of this vicious attack be stopped immediately. We look forward to the conviction of these individuals.”
The men have been suspended without pay.
