Edinburgh police officer 'raped young girl and tried to pull her into bath' at East Lothian house, court hears

A police officer raped a girl when she was around six years old in East Lothian, an Edinburgh court has been told.

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The child, who cannot be named for legal reasons, gave pre-recorded evidence to the High Court in Edinburgh on Wednesday, alleging that Martyn Coulter, 36, raped her on one occasion in late 2014.

Coulter, who is suspended from Police Scotland, is accused of raping a woman and assaulting her three times between June 2013 and November 2014 at addresses in East Lothian and Edinburgh, and is also accused of being threatening towards her. He is further charged with raping, sexually assaulting and threatening a girl under 13.

An Edinburgh police officer is accused of raping, sexually assaulting and threatening a young girl in East Lothian.

The girl said he covered her mouth with his hand before raping her at an address in East Lothian. She said she did not tell anybody at the time because Coulter threatened her, telling her he would "beat her black and blue" if she told anyone. "I had no idea what was going on. I was screaming. I was really scared. I didn't know what happened," her statement said. “I didn't want to tell anyone at the time because I didn't know what it was."

In another incident, the girl said Coulter tried to pull her into a bath with him while he was naked and touched her legs, chest and shoulders. She said she had initially walked in on him and made to leave when she saw he was in the bath. Her statement said he told her: "No, wait. Stay and come in with me." But she added: "I said no, because I was seven, getting asked to go in a bath with a fully grown man." She also accused Coulter of touching her vagina on several occasions in late 2014.

Coulter denies all charges against him and has lodged a special defence, saying that between September 6 and 21 2013 he was in England on a military police training course. Defending Coulter, Ian Duguid KC asked a police officer who had been involved in the case if the child had been medically examined, but the officer said she did not know.

On Wednesday morning, the court heard from another child who said she hid in a cupboard due to Coulter's threatening behaviour. The child said she heard how Coulter would regularly hit the child and get "really angry". She also told the court how she heard Coulter throw another child against a radiator close to the same period of time, so hard it left a permanent dent in the back of her head. She said she also heard him hitting a woman's head off of a "marble kitchen counter".

On Tuesday, the woman who has accused Coulter of raping and assaulting her told the court he smashed her head off of a cabinet. Asked by advocate depute Kath Harper why she did not involve the authorities during this time, the witness said Coulter told her nobody would believe her because he was a police officer. On Monday she said the officer raped her.

The trial continues before Lady Drummond.