Woman became pregnant after being raped by West Yorkshire police officer, court hears

A court has heard how a young woman fell pregnant and went on to have a baby after she was raped by a West Yorkshire Police officer.

The woman, who was 20 at the time of the alleged assault, says she was raped by Ben Lister after a night out drinking in August 2016.

Prosecutor Richard Woolfall told a jury at Bradford Crown Court that the defendant, who was off duty at the time, had "taken advantage of her when she was drunk".

The court heard that the woman and Lister had been out drinking with mutual friends before returning to their friends' house where they bedded down on separate sofas in the living room.

But it is alleged Lister then dragged the woman off the sofa, raped and sexually assaulted her.

Prosecutors say she did not have a full picture of what happened because of the amount of alcohol she had drunk.

The next day she messaged Lister asking if they had had sex. He denied it but said they had been intimate.

A month later she found out she was pregnant and, in April 2017, gave birth to a baby girl.

Over time she confided to friends and in 2020 made a report to police.

When he was arrested Mr Lister told police he had lied to the woman about whether they had had sex because he was hoping to rebuild his relationship with his ex-girlfriend from whom he was separated.

A DNA test subsequently showed he was the baby’s father but Lister told officers they had both consented to having sex.

He denies rape and sexual assault and the trial continues.