BRADFORD POLICE OFFICER BEN LISTER SENTENCED TO TEN YEARS FOR SEXUAL ASSAULT IN BRADFORD
A police officer from Bradford has been sentenced to ten years in prison after being convicted of a heinous sexual assault that occurred over five years ago.West Yorkshire Police Sergeant Ben Lister, aged 36, was found guilty of raping a woman at a friend's residence following a group night out during the August Bank Holiday weekend in 2016.
Lister denied the charges, claiming that the woman had consented to the sexual activity.
However, the jury at Bradford Crown Court today convicted him of rape and assault by penetration.
The attack resulted in the woman becoming pregnant, though Lister maintained he was unaware he was the father.
The court heard that Lister raped his heavily intoxicated victim—who was significantly younger than him—while she was in and out of consciousness at a mutual friend's house.
When she later asked whether they had engaged in intercourse, Lister falsely claimed they had only performed oral sex.
He also denied her assertion that she was pregnant as a result of the assault, but a DNA test confirmed he was 18 million times more likely to be her biological father.
During sentencing, Judge Jonathan Rose remarked: "What you did on that night was to rape a woman who was, in my view, vulnerable because of her physical condition." He added, "This woman was out with her friends...
Your account suggests you were not heavily drinking.
You should have been more aware of your responsibilities." The judge emphasized that the woman had the right to feel safe in her own home, where she was staying.
He described how she was unconscious at times, aware of what was happening but unable to prevent it, and that Lister exploited her compromised state.
The court described the assault: "You penetrated her with your fingers, then with your penis.
You did not use protection.
The consequences for her have been devastating—any rape causes profound trauma, but in this case, it also resulted in pregnancy." The following day, Lister contacted the woman via text message, denying the sexual encounter initially.
It was only later that she discovered she was pregnant and realized she had been raped.
Prosecutor Richard Woolfall read from the victim's statement, revealing she sees her baby’s face and feels conflicted, even resenting the child as a reminder of her assault.
She expressed her hope that her child will know the truth of what happened.
After the verdict, Lister was sentenced to ten years for rape and four years for assault by penetration—terms to run concurrently—and was ordered to register as a sex offender for life.
Pauline McCullagh, head of the Rape and Serious Sexual Offences Unit for the Crown Prosecution Service in Yorkshire and Humberside, stated: "This woman was raped, and as a result, she became pregnant with her attacker’s child." She added, "The offence of rape has serious and lasting effects on victims.
Although Lister was not on duty at the time, he was still a serving police officer, sworn to uphold the law and protect the public.
Our thoughts remain with the victim throughout this case."
