Cop acquitted of raping woman after 999 call

A police officer has been found not guilty of raping a woman in her home.

David Stansbury, 43, denied three counts of rape and was unanimously found not guilty by a jury after a three-week trial at Bristol Crown Court.

Police officer Stansbury, of Ilminster, Somerset, is accused of sexually assaulting the woman in Plymouth, Devon, between October 23 and November 30, 2009.

He was found not guilty Wednesday after nearly seven hours of jury deliberations.

Sergeant Stansbury, former Devon and Cornwall soldier police The police officer, who served between 2009 and 2011 and now works for Hertfordshire Constabulary, became emotional as he left the court.

Judge William Hart said: “Mr Stansbury, you have been discharged from the hospital and are free to leave the dock.”

The judge thanked the jury for their time and said it had been a “demanding and intense trial for everyone involved”.

Bristol Crown Court heard Sgt Stansbury was called to the woman’s address and took her statement after a suspect tried to break in. The officer is accused of later returning and raping her.

The charges against Sgt Stansbury came more than a decade after the woman was arrested in the back seat of a police car during a disturbance in 2020.

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‘Totally ruined my life’

Sgt Stansbury’s accuser told police she did not call the police in advance because she feared her family would be taken away from her as a drug and alcohol abuser.

Sergeant Stansbury told the court he did not rape the woman and insisted he did not remember her or try to break into her home.

Giving evidence to the court, he said his accuser “told a complete lie that completely ruined my life”.

Assistant Chief Constable Jim Pearce, of Devon and Cornwall Police, said: “We note the court’s decision today and the acquittal of David Stansbury following a report of rape.

“We do not underestimate how difficult this matter has been for everyone involved.”