Wakefield police officer who called allegations 'absurd' is cleared of historic rape
Jury cleared him with unanimous verdicts
A police officer who was put on trial after being accused of raping a child when he himself was a boy has been cleared.
The jury deliberated for around an hour and returned not-guilty verdicts this afternoon on all seven offences facing PC Marcus Newbold.
During the five-day trial at Leeds Crown Court, Newbold was accused of abusing the girl from when she was just four and he was 12.
Newbold, who lives in the Wakefield area but worked as a constable in Kirklees, was accused of abusing the child in the late 2000s.
The victim said she told of the alleged abuse in 2022, and the police brought Newbold in for a voluntary interview.
Giving evidence during his trial, he said he learned about the complaints against him through the West Yorkshire Police log that all officers had access to.
He was then suspended from his job.
Newbold, of Lime Close, Normanton, told the court he had worked hard to become a police constable and was proud of his work, having started out as a police community support officer (PCSO).
He was eventually charged with rape of a child, three of sexual assault of a child, one of assaulting a child by penetration and two counts of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.
The 29-year-old told the jury he was “not surprised” by the allegations due to circumstances that cannot be reported, but was still shocked.
He labelled the idea of him abusing the girl as “absurd”.
Meanwhile, West Yorkshire Police has confirmed it will review Newbold’s suspension following the conclusion of the court proceedings.