NEW YORK (Reuters) - The trial of two New York City police officers accused in the rape of an intoxicated woman they were supposed to be helping opened on Monday in Manhattan Supreme Court.
NYPD officers Kenneth Moreno and Franklin Mata are charged with rape, burglary and misconduct in the December 2008 incident.
They had responded to a 911 call placed by a taxi driver whose fare, an unidentified 27-year-old woman, was found to be too drunk to exit the cab on her own, authorities said.
A nearby bar's security cameras captured images of Moreno and Mata helping the woman into her building and then returning at least twice later that night, authorities said.
Prosecutors allege Moreno raped the passed-out victim as she lay face down on her bed, after having vomited several times. They said Mata stood lookout, making him culpable in the rape.
The two officers were arrested in April 2009 after the victim secretly taped a conversation with Moreno outside his police precinct, in which he said he wore a condom during the incident, authorities said.
Moreno's lawyers contend he was merely trying to calm the victim and keep her from causing a disturbance at the police station.
His lawyer said Moreno denies raping the woman, and was simply comforting her because she was upset about drinking too much. The defense also said she gave him keys so that he could return later that night.
Moreno's attorneys said the officers returned as the woman became more sober over time, and the woman gave Moreno her cell phone number.
The officers face up to 25 years in prison if convicted of the charges.
(Reporting by Bernd Debusmann Jr.; Editing by Barbara Goldberg and Jerry Norton)
