Ex-Met police officer Mark Tyrrell, accused of raping sleeping woman, was trained in dealing with sex offence victims, court hears

A former police officer accused of raping a sleeping woman had been trained in how to deal with victims of sex offences, a court has heard.

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Mark Tyrrell, who was serving in the Metropolitan Police at the time, has denied two counts of rape, 11 sexual assault offences and four counts of assault by penetration against the woman over a period of around two years.

Tyrrell, 57, was trained in Sexual Offences Investigation Techniques (SOIT), prosecutor Catherine Farrelly KC told London's Southwark Crown Court as his trial opened on Tuesday.

Ms Farrelly added he "emotionally bullied and manipulated (the alleged victim) to try and satisfy his sexual needs".

When the alleged victim resisted his sexual advances, "he simply chose to take what he wanted, the majority of the times when she was asleep and with no choice about whether she wanted him to touch her or not", Ms Farrelly said.

Concerns were raised after officers went to the alleged victim's address on a different matter and found the police officer hiding by the side of her bed, the court heard.

Later, Tyrrell called her and claimed nothing sexual had happened, and in another, he suggested she claimed to be a lesbian and that he was "not her type".

The defendant, of Meltham, West Yorkshire, is further accused of perverting the course of justice by attempting to delete messages with the woman.

One message said: "I'm sorry x.

"For being a sex offender... And for ruining your life by being in it.

"I'm good at doing that to people. (Not the sex offender bit, the ruining people's lives bit)".

The woman, who cannot be identified as she is the alleged victim of a sexual offence, told him not to say such things and he replied: "They're true. And I'm an a*******."

The defendant is accused of raping the woman by having sex with her after she repeatedly said no.

Afterwards, he allegedly told her "I don't believe what's just happened", and "do you realise that what I've just done, that was rape?".

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The woman, who kept a list of incidents with Tyrrell that included alleged sex attacks, has also claimed that on multiple occasions she woke to find Tyrrell penetrating her, even after she had said no to sex the night before.

During a police interview, she explained "she had felt pressured by him and had feared that no-one would believe her about the allegations, as she feared she couldn't prove it and was worried that the police would protect him as he was a police officer", the prosecution told jurors.

After his arrest, Tyrrell denied ever having sexual intercourse with her.

The defendant has previously admitted misconduct in a public office and perverting the course of justice.

(c) Sky News 2026: Ex-Met police officer Mark Tyrrell, accused of raping sleeping wom