Met PC cleared of date rape a year ago faces same allegations at professional misconduct hearing

EXCLUSIVE: A Met Police officer who was unanimously cleared of a date rape is facing the same allegation at a professional misconduct hearing.

PC James Geoghegan, 28, was cleared of raping an off-duty female police officer at her home after a crown court trial a year ago.

Chelmsford Crown Court heard Mr Geoghegan, of Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, had met the woman in her 20s on a night out in Essex in December 2018 and after an evening of dancing and talking had returned to her home.

The woman told the jury she had told him "no" and to "stop" but he went on to have sex with her and after he awoke in the morning she asked him: "Did you not hear me say no?"

However, Mr Geoghegan, who is based at the Met's North west Operational Command Unit, told the court this was a "complete shock" and the sex had been consensual.

The court was read a prepared statement which Mr Geoghegan had given to police in which he said: "'I genuinely thought we were going to wake up and spend the day together and start seeing each other like we were saying the night before.

"I was so shocked because, as far as I knew, we just had passionate sex with each other and it was really good and things were good between us."

He also said he had offered to sleep on the sofa but she had "insisted" he sleep in her bed and laughingly said they were going to have a cuddle and a spoon.

The jury believed his account and Mr Geoghegan wiped away tears as he was found not guilty.

After the trial, the Met Police said it would consider if there was a case for misconduct proceedings which have the lower on the balance of probability threshold for guilt than beyond reasonable doubt needed at criminal trial.

A four day hearing is due to start tomorrow<Nov14>.

A Met public notice for the hearing states: "PC James Geoghegan will answer allegations that his conduct amounts to a breach of standards of professional behaviour, in respect of discreditable conduct."

It said the woman had "engaged in kissing on that occasion, but she did not consent to any other matters."

However, it said he had gone on to have sex with her without wearing a condom.

The notice added: "It is alleged that this occurred in circumstances where Ms A had pulled up her pyjama bottoms after he had tried to pull them down... and/or she had told him that she did not consent to sexual relations or words to that effect, and she had expressed her view, both through her physical and verbal interactions with him, that she did not consent to sexual relations.

"The matters set out above are individually and/or collectively so serious that they amount to gross misconduct."