A former police officer has been sentenced after being convicted of rape, following a prosecution that used evidence from a previous trial to demonstrate his repeated predatory behaviour.

Rupert Edwards, 33, was sentenced to seven years imprisonment at Southwark Crown Court after he was found guilty following a trial on 22 May 2026.

The victim was raped by Edwards on 1 January 2018 following a New Year's Eve party. She came forward to police in October 2023 to report the offence after learning that two other women had made allegations of rape against Edwards. 

Edwards previously stood trial charged in relation to these allegations from 2022 but was not convicted. 

Although he had not been convicted following that first trial, prosecutors successfully applied to the court to use the same evidence as bad character evidence in this trial. 

Prosecutors presented recorded interviews and cross-examination evidence from the previous proceedings, which revealed similarities in Edwards' behaviour across both cases. The court agreed that this evidence was relevant and consistent with the defendant receiving a fair trial.

Timothy Greaves, for the Crown Prosecution Service, said: "Rupert Edwards preyed on a woman and took advantage of her. Despite his claims that this was consensual, the evidence clearly showed that it was rape.

“We recognise that it can be difficult to report these offences and I want to thank the victim for coming forward. I hope today's sentence brings some comfort to  the women affected by Edwards' conduct. It is because of their evidence that he has been brought to justice.

“Where the law allows us to place evidence before a jury that reveals a defendant's pattern of behaviour, we will pursue every opportunity to do so. That is exactly what we did here, and it was central to securing this conviction.”