Police officer jailed for raping woman in 2002

A West Yorkshire Police officer has been jailed for raping a woman.

PC Joe Lavender, who was working in the Leeds district at the time of his suspension, assaulted the woman in 2002. He had joined as a police staff member earlier that year and became a police officer in 2005.

The 45-year-old, from Castleford, was found guilty of rape following a retrial in October.

At York Crown Court on Tuesday, he was sentenced to seven years in prison and given a 15-year sexual harm prevention order.

Warning: This story contains distressing details

The court heard Lavender had been in a "brief relationship" with the woman when the assault happened.

They were initially having consensual sex at his home before he "pinned her down" and raped her, despite her cries to stop.

She was left bleeding and in pain following the incident, which she did not tell anybody about for more than 20 years, the court was told.

In a victim impact statement read to the court by prosecutor Rupert Doswell KC, the woman said the attack had a "massive impact" on her self-worth, leaving her isolated and unable to trust people or the police.

The rape was reported in 2024 after the woman agreed to speak to officers.

She said she would not have come forward if not approached, as she had a fear of not being believed.

Lavender, who was working in Leeds District, was suspended from West Yorkshire Police and awaits a misconduct hearing to ban him from the force.

Simon Myerson KC, defending, told the court Lavender had been 21 years old at the time of the offence and had never been asked about it until years later.

He added that the defendant would lose his job and relationship with his family due to his crime and it had been "an astonishingly poor decision".

Sentencing Lavender, Judge Hickey said the victim had trusted him to allow intercourse before the attack.

He said Lavender had used his "large physique and position to pin her down" as she "cried out and struggled".

"It has had a huge impact on her self-worth," the judge said.

"You were not immature. You had your own house and job."

Lavender was also given a restraining order prohibiting him from contacting the victim or posting about her on social media.

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