A former police officer, Cliff Mitchell, 24, is accused of raping a woman at knifepoint.
In a police interview played at Croydon Crown Court, the woman recounted the incident in September 2023. Mitchell reportedly approached her with a knife, tied her up with cable ties, and taped her mouth shut.
“He just kept threatening me.”
She said: “He said ‘that’s not happening. I know how victims act. You would say anything to stay alive’.”
She also told officers: “He kept saying ‘I’m smarter than you think. This has been pre-planned’.”
During the interview, the woman described how the tape kept slipping off as she cried, but Mitchell repeatedly reapplied it.
Mitchell, residing in Wandsworth, faces 13 counts of rape against two victims, breaching a non-molestation order, and two counts of kidnapping.
He pleaded not guilty to all charges.
The woman alleged that Mitchell forced her and another person into his car, but she managed to escape by feigning sickness. As she ran away, she suffered bruises, scabs, and scratches, losing her shoes in the process. Witnesses observed her running through traffic, seeking help.
“I just ran, and no-one would help.”
In an earlier police interview, the woman said: “I just ran and no-one would help.
“He chased after me with the knife and said ‘come back to the car otherwise I’m going to kill (the other person in the car) right now’.
“I was so scared.”
A passer-by noticed what was going on and managed to get her into her vehicle, the court heard.
Mitchell, a former PC in the Met’s West Area Basic Command Unit, was suspended and subsequently dismissed from the force.
Prosecutor Catherine Farrelly informed the jury that Mitchell served as a police officer with the Metropolitan Police during the alleged offenses.
Charges against him include six counts of rape against a girl, three occurring when she was under 13 years old, with additional allegations of at least 30 similar assaults between January 2014 and April 2017.
Mitchell is also charged with seven counts of rape against a woman between April 2020 and September 2023, breaching a non-molestation order, and two counts of kidnapping.
The trial continues at Croydon Crown Court.
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StandfirstThe trial of an ex-metropolitan London police officer continues in Croydon, with the defendant accused of multiple counts of rape.
A former police officer, Cliff Mitchell, 24, is accused of raping a woman at knifepoint.
In a police interview played at Croydon Crown Court, the woman recounted the incident in September 2023. Mitchell reportedly approached her with a knife, tied her up with cable ties, and taped her mouth shut.
“He just kept threatening me.”
She said: “He said ‘that’s not happening. I know how victims act. You would say anything to stay alive’.”
She also told officers: “He kept saying ‘I’m smarter than you think. This has been pre-planned’.”
During the interview, the woman described how the tape kept slipping off as she cried, but Mitchell repeatedly reapplied it.
Mitchell, residing in Wandsworth, faces 13 counts of rape against two victims, breaching a non-molestation order, and two counts of kidnapping.
He pleaded not guilty to all charges.
The woman alleged that Mitchell forced her and another person into his car, but she managed to escape by feigning sickness. As she ran away, she suffered bruises, scabs, and scratches, losing her shoes in the process. Witnesses observed her running through traffic, seeking help.
“I just ran, and no-one would help.”
In an earlier police interview, the woman said: “I just ran and no-one would help.
“He chased after me with the knife and said ‘come back to the car otherwise I’m going to kill (the other person in the car) right now’.
“I was so scared.”
A passer-by noticed what was going on and managed to get her into her vehicle, the court heard.
Mitchell, a former PC in the Met’s West Area Basic Command Unit, was suspended and subsequently dismissed from the force.
Prosecutor Catherine Farrelly informed the jury that Mitchell served as a police officer with the Metropolitan Police during the alleged offenses.
Charges against him include six counts of rape against a girl, three occurring when she was under 13 years old, with additional allegations of at least 30 similar assaults between January 2014 and April 2017.
Mitchell is also charged with seven counts of rape against a woman between April 2020 and September 2023, breaching a non-molestation order, and two counts of kidnapping.
