Married officer on trial for rape denies 'strong' sexual attraction to accuser

A married police officer denied that he was "strongly" sexually attracted to a woman he is accused of sexually assaulting despite telling her he would "love to make love" to her again, a court has heard.

Detective Constable Mark Glover, who is also accused of raping the woman's daughter, admits having consensual sexual contact with the mother, including full sexual intercourse on a number of occasions in the years after he married his wife.

Glover, 46, from Carys Close in Penarth, South Wales, who denies anything sexual ever happened between him and the daughter, is on trial at Cardiff Crown Court after pleading not guilty to three counts of rape, two counts of assault by penetration, and two counts of sexual assault.

On Friday, the officer, who has been based at Barry and Bridgend police stations, told the jury he did not sexually assault either woman.

Glover said he had an affair with the older woman some years ago which "fizzled out", but that he then had consensual sexual contact with her on two occasions more recently, one which would have been at around the time of the alleged offences.

They had also shared lingering kisses, he said, adding that on one of the occasions, he had said "I'd love to make love to you again" and that a woman had responded by saying they would have to arrange a time.

Prosecutor Simon Mills said: "It would mean that in the period we are talking about, you were strongly sexually attracted to (the woman)."

Glover said: "I would not say strongly sexually attracted but would say sexually attracted ... that was after we had both been aroused and I made that comment."

He said he did not "see the relevance" of a question about whether he was bigger and stronger than the woman.

Mr Mills said: "Well this case is about you overpowering her and you are bigger and stronger than her, aren't you?"

Glover said: "Yes."

Mr Mills said: "There were times on your own evidence where you did make advances towards her, which she did not want."

Glover said: "And I stopped."

The court heard he had turned to the woman for advice about his marriage, meeting her for coffee after rowing with his wife about their sex life on her birthday.

Glover said he worked for Barclays Bank from 1989 to 1995 when, in the early part of that year, he applied to join the police.

He was accepted and started in August 1995, he said, working first as a response officer before joining the drugs team in CID.

Glover said he had worked in London following the bombings there in 2005.

He said he had been married twice and met his second wife, Rachael, in 2000. They planned to marry in 2003 but Rachael called off the ceremony and revealed on the honeymoon, which they still took despite not being married, that she had been having an affair. They eventually married in 2006.

In police interview, Glover said his own affair was "a bit of a revenge sort of thing".

Mr Mills said: "Was your initial sexual contact with (the woman) a bit of revenge?"

Glover said: "That's what I said in my interview ... I don't know what my thought process was back then but yes probably."

Mr Mills said: "Are you capable of using sexual behaviour as a form of revenge."

Glover said he did not think of it like that and had "no idea" why the woman was making up stories about it.

The court heard the allegations came to light after the woman wrote Facebook messages to a friend, which were found by her daughter who reported the matter to the police.

She later told officers that she had been raped by Glover.

The jury was told about the shifts Glover worked around the time of the allegations and about the recorded working hours of the daughter.

Mr Mills asked if he was saying the hours he worked meant he could not have done what he was accused of and Glover said no, but it "massively reduced the chance" that he could have, adding: "I've not been accused of committing offences whilst on duty."

Glover agreed he did not have much time for the daughter and did not get on with her.

Mr Mills said: "Is the truth that you were behaving in a sexually predatory way towards (her)?"

Glover said: "No, it is not."

Mr Mills said: "You took the opportunity ... to repeatedly sexually attack her." Glover said: "No I haven't."

The trial continues.