No prison time served to former NYPD detectives accused of raping teen

WHAT’S BEING CLAIMED:

• Instead of being sentenced to 25 years in jail, two former NYPD narcotics detectives accused of a 2017 kidnapping and raping of a teen from Brooklyn, got away with just 5 years of probation.
• The original charges of rape and kidnapping were withdrawn earlier this year due to “credibility issues” with the accuser and claims that the sex was consensual.
• Both accuser and lawyer reportedly expressed disgust over the judge’s decision.

This week, two former NYPD detectives escaped jail time following accusations that they were involved in the 2017 kidnap and rape of an 18-year-old from Brooklyn inside a police van.

While the original sentence given to former Brooklyn South narcotics detectives Eddie Martins, 39, and Richard Hall, 34, was 25 years in prison, a plea deal in March resulted to a five year-probation on Thursday. But they could have faced a maximum of 7 years in jail.

Originally charged with rape, sexual assault and kidnapping, both NYPD officers pleaded guilty to two counts of third-degree bribe receiving and nine counts of official misconduct.

In a statement to Gothamist, Michael David, attorney for the complainant, said that he and his client are “outraged “by the judge’s ruling.

He said: “If you’re arrested and kidnapped in a van with two large officers with guns, there’s no consent. They’re getting away with rape. It sends a horrible message to victims of police sexual misconduct.”

Earlier this year, the original charges were dropped after “credibility issues” with the accuser who is named Anna Chambers to protect her identity, were cited by the Office of the Brooklyn District Attorney. However, a rape kit revealed DNA positively matched with the accused men’s saliva and semen that was retrieved on Chamber’s body after the supposed attack.

Despite the accused men admitting to engaging in sex with Chambers, defense attorneys maintained that the sex was consensual. Although at the time, it was not illegal for police officers to have sex with someone in custody, this case changed all of that.

According to Chambers, both men pulled her over while driving with two male friends along Coney Island in Brooklyn in September 2017. She claimed the two detectives let her friends go and arrested her after finding marijuana in her car. She alleged that both Martins and Hall forced her to perform oral sex before raping her in an unmarked police van. After the incident, she said she went to report the rape and get a rape kit done in a local medical center.

“These defendants engaged in a shocking abuse of power which they finally acknowledged,” said Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzales in a statement on Thursday.

“While I would have preferred to see them serve prison time, they are no longer members of our police department and with today’s plea are convicted felons,” he added. Both men resigned from the police force shortly after being accused of rape and kidnapping.

Source: HuffPost