Former Herts Met Police officer charged with rape 'wouldn't take no for an answer', prosecution say
Jake Cummings is on a retrial charged with two offences of rape against two victims
Last updated 15th Jul 2025
A former Metropolitan Police officer from Hemel Hempstead who is accused of raping two women "wouldn't take no for an answer", the prosecution said.
Jake Cummings, aged 26, is on trial for a second time, after previously admitting two charges of stalking and being found guilty of a third, which he denied in a trial last September, along with offences of controlling and coercive behaviour and voyeurism.
A previous jury could not come to an overall or majority verdict on the two counts of rape he continues to be charged with.
In the last week, the court heard of a pattern of behaviour whereby Cummings would first display strong affection towards the women, which would be reciprocated, requesting to see them frequently, and calling them repeatedly.
A victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons, described having to call him on the phone the moment she woke up and as she fell asleep at night.
Cummings would make the women download a tracking app called Life360 to allow them to track his movements at and after work.
One victim said she felt it was the other way around.
Both victims then described a quick deterioration in the relationship whereby the defendant would call them names, isolate them from their friends and family, and control them.
Prosecutor James Thacker KC said: "He would get up in their faces, shout at them, be aggressive, call them names, and then we would go back into this cycle of ‘I love you, I want to be with you’ and wake up with that very long message."
In relation to the rape charge, one victim said she had gone to his property in Hemel Hempstead around Christmas time for a gift exchange.
Cummings gave her underwear, asking her to try it on.
The victim said despite voicing resistance, Cummings insisted, so she went to the bathroom to put it on.
He proceeded to insinuate he wanted to have sex with her and "put her on the bed",
"I said I didn’t want to. I was really quite upset about the way he acted. I wasn’t in the mood as I did express to him," the victim said, adding "I agreed to have sex with him because I knew it would make him happy, and I didn’t want him to be angry and to start calling me names again."
She said that during sex, he said "you knew it would happen when you came here", which made her feel "quite guilty, quite used".
She described feeling "quite violated" before leaving his property.
In relation to the second rape Cummings is charged with, the victim described having gone to his property to help him move following a breakdown in their relationship.
Upon arrival, the defendant asked her to help him make the bed, before leaning towards her suggesting sexual intercourse, pushing her onto the bed.
The victim then described pushing him away using her hands, as the defendant tried to take her cardigan and top off, and unzip her trousers.
The pair had previously agreed to a 'friends with benefits' type of relationship.
During the incident, the victim recalls Cummings saying "no strings attached, just a quickie" as he continued to take her clothes off.
In her interview with police, played in court, the victim says she continued pushing him away, asking him "at least three times" to stop, but eventually giving in, describing the difference in their respective sizes.
In the days following the event, Cummings messaged the victim asking her if the act had been consensual.
The victim added: "He wanted me to confirm if it was consensual because he was worried about it."
Summing up the case today (July 15), the prosecution said the jury would have to consider several topics to determine whether the defendant is guilty.
Those included similarities in the defendant's behaviour towards both women, the victims' and the defendant's accounts of the events, evidence in the case, and the defendant's "lies".
Prosecutor James Thacker KC went on to say the defendant "would not take no for an answer".
He said: "His objective was the same in relation to both these young women. It was to get them in his lair for his sexual gratification."
Defending, barrister Miss Lloyd-Jacob said: "There is no suggestion from the victims that he was abusive or threatened them in relation to having sex with them."
She said that one of the women admitted loving Cummings, saying it to him even after the breakdown in their relationship.
In relation to one of the victim's account that she "agreed to have sex with him because he would be unhappy", the prosecution argued she had "said yes before he even started", determined to change her story in court.
The defence went on to say, in relation to the second victim, that she had "said no to sex because she was worried about giving him false hopes about the relationship", but pointed to a conversation between the two which established they had become 'friends with benefits'.
Miss Lloyd-Jacob said: "They had no strings, something they both agreed."
She concluded by saying what happened between him and the two women "does not involve them saying no".
The jury is expected to soon retire to consider its verdict.