A SERVING police officer accused of rape has been described as ‘gentle giant’ and a ‘lovely chap’ by a close friend.

Decorated West Mercia police officer Gary Jones, 45, denies two counts of rape between June 1 and September 30, 2006 at his trial at Worcester Crown Court.

Closing speeches were given today and judge Nicolas Cartwright is expected to sum up the case on Monday before the jury retires to consider verdicts.

Jones’s friend since 1991, Simon Lofts, was called as the last live witness. The 48-year-old insurance fraud investigator said: “I would describe him as a gentle giant. He’s polite, painfully polite on occasions, just a thoroughly nice chap. I would trust him with anything and everyone I hold dear.”

Other character references were read out by Jones's defence barrister Sharon Bahia. He was variously described as a loving father, caring and with a calm and gentle nature. One said: “In my opinion, he would not hurt a fly.”

In his closing speech prosecutor Peter Arnold emphasised Jones’s physical size at 6ft 2ins tall and suggested there was a significant physical difference between him and his alleged victim.

He argued that the fact that the victim had called both her mother and sister about the alleged rapes in 2006 showed ‘consistency by the complainant’ and stressed that they were contemporaneous accounts.

Mr Arnold said she would have been ‘clever, cunning, patient liar’ to sow the seeds of the case in 2006 and then ‘harvest the case’ against him in years to come.

Sharon Bahia, for Jones, described the alleged victim as telling 'a lot of lies', including that the Crown Prosecution Service would bring a case against Jones 'regardless', with or without her assistance.

“She told her family that the police were ‘forcing me and I have no choice’” said Miss Bahia who said this lie had ‘outraged’ her own mum and sister.

Miss Bahia said: “These are just a few lies she has told. This account has got more elaborate as the years have gone on.”

In 2010 the alleged victim said she had been raped two or three times but her account changed to two or three times per week over two to three months Miss Bahia told the jury. The trial continues.