A Metropolitan Police officer has been sentenced to seven years in jail for raping a woman in her home following a New Year’s Eve gathering. Rupert Edwards, 33, committed the assault while he was off duty. The victim, who had been drinking heavily, fell asleep on a sofa as midnight approached, according to prosecutor John Clifford at Southwark Crown Court.

The woman woke up to find herself covered in chocolates that had been playfully tossed in her mouth by others at the party. Edwards had joined the celebration in London after midnight, the court was informed.

The victim had hazy memories of the night but recalled sharing a taxi with Edwards and finding it odd that he did not exit before her. It was revealed in court that he had redirected the Uber driver to the victim’s residence instead of his own.

The next recollection the woman had was waking up next to the officer in her bed, both of them unclothed. Edwards callously remarked about their sexual encounter, leaving the victim feeling “disgusted.”

She had never consented to intercourse and stated she would never have done so. Edwards later solicited another sexual encounter via text message.

In her statement to the court, the victim described feeling “emotionally numb” post-attack, expressing a sense of darkness overshadowing her. She mentioned, “While I was not suicidal, I often felt that the idea of not waking up the next day was appealing. A conviction does not bring me closure. I will continue to live with the effects of what he has done.”

Edwards, residing in Bexhill, East Sussex, was arrested in April 2024 after the victim reported the rape to the police in October 2023. The incident occurred on New Year’s Day in January 2018. He served as a police officer for over eight years until his suspension in 2022.

The court learned that Edwards had previously faced trial for raping two other women, being acquitted in one trial and in a retrial for the other. Judge Nicholas Rimmer, sentencing him to seven years in prison, remarked that the violation occurred at the victim’s residence, a place that should have been her safe haven.

Before being escorted away by a court officer, Edwards smiled at his family in the public gallery. Timothy Greaves, representing the Crown Prosecution Service, stated, “Rupert Edwards preyed on a woman and took advantage of her. Despite his claims of consent, the evidence clearly demonstrated rape.”

Greaves expressed gratitude to the victim for stepping forward and hoped that the sentence provided some solace to all women impacted by Edwards’ actions. He emphasized the importance of presenting a defendant’s behavioral pattern in court to secure convictions.

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