HOUSTON – A woman who claims a now former Houston police officer raped her took the stand in his trial on Wednesday.
Abraham Joseph, 29, has been charged with two counts of aggravated sexual assault.
Police said he kidnapped a waitress outside of El Diamante Nite Club, 3416 W. Fuqua, on Jan. 2, 2011, while he was on duty.
Prosecutors said Joseph handcuffed her, drove her to a secluded section of Townwood Park, 3600 Simsbrook, and raped her.
She claimed Joseph was dressed in his uniform and armed when she was kidnapped.
Prosecutors said Joseph originally arrested the woman and a man in in the parking lot of the night club. The woman claims that Joseph dropped the man off on the side of the road, took her to the park and then raped her while she was still handcuffed.
While on the stand, the woman was tearful and angry at times. She often looked directly at Joseph and even addressed him. She testified with the help of a translator.
"He grabbed my skirt and put his hands under my dress," the woman said in Spanish. "He ruined my life."
The first person to take the stand Wednesday was a sergeant who described seeing the alleged victim after the incident. He said she was crying, scared and distraught.
Joseph's attorney claimed the sex was consensual.
"We're saying that nothing happened that wasn't by agreement in this case," his attorney said.
"I think the juries tend to hold them to a higher standard," KPRC Local 2 legal analyst Brian Wice said. "It's never easy to walk into a courtroom and represent a former police officer accused of any crime."
Prosecutors said that Joseph has been investigated as a potential suspect in five separate rape cases.
If convicted, Joseph could be sentenced to up to life in prison.