Jury out in case of West Yorkshire Police officer accused of rape
West Yorkshire Police sergeant Ben Lister denies assaulting the woman after a night out
The jury in the trial of a West Yorkshire police sergeant accused of raping a woman after a night out has started deliberating.
Ben Lister, 36, who was a constable with the West Yorkshire force at the time, denies taking advantage of the woman at a house in 2016 after they had both been drinking.
Bradford Crown Court heard the prosecution allege that he dragged the woman off a sofa while she was asleep before touching her sexually as she drifted in and out of consciousness.
When she messaged him later to ask if they had had sex, he lied and said they had not but they had engaged in some sexual activity, the court heard.
She conceived as a result of the alleged rape with DNA tests on the child showing Lister was the father, the jury heard.
In his defence, the police officer told jurors he understood consent and denied he was a rapist.
He said: "I know what consent is. I don't recall a conversation in the build-up, can I have sex with her. That's not a conversation I would have.
"It's in body language, the moment with someone, the build-up, the conversation.
"I wouldn't just start to have sex with someone."
He denies one count of rape and one count of assault by penetration.