Yahoo Finance Police officer who raped woman on his lunch break before returning to work is jailed
A now-retired police officer who raped a woman while on his lunch break before returning to work has been jailed for 11 years.
Derek Winston Seekings, 66, of Southern Way in Farnborough, retired from Surrey Police in 2005 and was charged with the offences in July 2019.
The force revealed that Seekings, who retired as a sergeant after 32 years’ service, was originally charged with seven offences of rape but his indictment was subsequently amended to two counts.
Both attacks took place between 1994 and 2000 in Surrey against a woman who cannot be named for legal reasons.
One of the attacks took place during the officer's break while he was on duty, with the other taking place while he was off duty.
Following a four-day trial at Lewes Crown Court, Seeking was found guilty on both counts of rape.
Prosecutor Jennifer Gray read aloud a statement from the victim, who described how Seekings’ not guilty plea caused her "panic attacks" and "many dark moments".
Reading the statement on behalf of the victim, Gray said: “Every contact regarding the trial heightened my anxiety.
“At times I thought I was suffering a cardiac event and thought I would not be able to continue."
The court had previously heard Gray explain how Seekings committed one of the offences while on duty.
She said: "She made it very clear to him she didn’t want to have sex with him, he carried on regardless and he raped her.”
Following his attack, Seekings returned to work.
The jury was also told the disgraced ex-sergeant was suspended from duty for a number of months and demoted to PC in the late 1990s following a car accident which led to a driving conviction.
Judge Stephen Mooney passed sentence for one count of rape, half of which is to be served behind bars; Seekings can then be released on licence where he will be liable to recall.
Seeking was given a nine-year prison sentence for the other count of rape, which will run concurrently to the first.
He will also be on the sex offenders register for life.
