A Hertfordshire police officer who is on trial accused of raping a child said he cried when he was told that allegations had been made against him, a court heard.
James Ford, 31, is charged with 10 counts of sexual abuse against a girl under 13, which are said to have happened between 2019 and 2021.
The defendant, formerly of Bishop’s Stortford, is also accused of doing an act tending and intended to pervert the course of public justice, in that he “deliberately wiped his phone by factory resetting his Samsung Mobile phone”.
Ford denies all of the charges.
In a first interview with police, read during his trial at Cambridge Crown Court, Ford said he was an intervention officer at Hertfordshire Constabulary.
When asked about his reaction to the allegations, he said: “I got upset, I cried.”
READ MORE:
- Hertfordshire police officer denies four counts of raping a child
- Seven charged after human trafficking police raids
- Work begins to redevelop former pub into flats
He added that he did not know why the girl would make the allegations.
Asked about his phone, he said he had dropped it and it turned off.
He said he was talking on the phone and “then in a state of shock… I dropped my phone, it hit the floor, I couldn’t turn it back on”.
He said that he plugged it in to charge “for a couple of minutes then I could turn it back on and the home screen was different”, adding that it “came up with all the initial set-up stuff”.
Prosecutor Isobel Ascherson, reading from an agreed facts document, said Ford has no previous convictions.
The 10 sexual offence charges include four of rape, four of sexual assault and two of causing or inciting a child under the age of 13 to engage in sexual activity.
Hertfordshire Constabulary has declined to comment on the case until it has concluded.
The trial continues.
Have you got a story for us? You can contact us here.
Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to keep up with all the latest news.
To receive breaking news alerts or newsletters sign up here.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article