Police officer accused of raping man in custody says it was consensual

[left-of-center2012]

A police officer in Salem, Massachusetts is accused of raping a young man in protective custody in 2016, but Patrolman Brian Butler and his defense lawyer claim it was consensual.

On the morning of Halloween, 2016, Butler, now 57, engaged in sexual acts with the young man. However, the victim — who was in a holding cell in the Salem police station, naked but for a blanket — maintains he was coerced.

Prosecutor Kate MacDougall quoted the victim at an early hearing on Tuesday (19 June): ‘What else could I do? I was in fear because he was a police officer.’

Another complicated layer of the story is that Butler is married to Police Chief Mary Butler. She filed for divorce citing ‘an irretrievable breakdown of the marriage’.

Butler faces 10-20 years in prison for indecent assault, battery, and rape if he is found guilty.

Full story here

[msongs]

1. when one is "in custody" nothing is consensual for the detained seem to me nt

[Solly Mack]

2. It's never consensual when you're in the custody of the police.