West Yorkshire Police officer handed seven year sentence for raping a woman 24 years ago

Published 3 November 2026, 16:01

• PC Jo Lavender, 45, was convicted at York Crown Court after his victim finally came forward in December 2024.
• She told the court she 'felt so low that someone would choose their own self gratification over my wellbeing'.
• Detective Chief Superintendent Tanya Wilkins called it 'a gross abuse of trust' and said misconduct proceedings will follow.

A serving police officer has been jailed for seven years after being convicted of raping a woman in 2002 — the same year he joined the force.

PC Jo Lavender, 45, who was working in Leeds District at the time of his suspension, was found guilty on 19 October of one count of rape following a trial at York Crown Court, according to West Yorkshire Police.

At sentencing, he was also made subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and placed on the Sex Offenders Register indefinitely.

Lavender had joined West Yorkshire Police as a staff member in 2002, the year the rape took place.

He became a warranted police officer in 2005.

The victim came forward in December 2024 — more than two decades after the offence — prompting the investigation that led to his prosecution.

In her Victim Personal Statement read to the court, the woman said: "The offence happened over 20 years ago and has had a huge impact on my life. I have felt so low that someone would choose their own self gratification over my wellbeing. This is something that I have struggled to deal with over the years."

She said that finally being believed brought her relief: "I can say knowing that I was believed gave me a sense of relief and that someone confirmed what had happened to me was wrong did help me."

She also thanked those who pursued the case, saying: "I would like to express my gratitude to DC 1631 Devonshire and West Yorkshire Police for working so hard to make sure I received the justice for what has lived with me for such a long time."

Detective Chief Superintendent Tanya Wilkins, head of West Yorkshire Police's Professional Standards Directorate, said Lavender's actions were "a gross abuse of trust" that were "wholly incompatible with the values and standards expected of those who serve the public," adding that she hoped the victim felt justice had been served.

Following the conviction, Wilkins acknowledged that the victim "lived with the trauma of what PC Lavender did to her for two decades before coming forward" and praised her bravery, saying: "I do not underestimate the courage it takes to report something like this, and even more so knowing that by that time the man responsible was a police officer."

Wilkins urged other victims to come forward: "Please know that we will listen and we will act, it doesn't matter who the perpetrator is or where they may work."

Misconduct proceedings will now follow.

Wilkins said "there is no place in policing for individuals who commit such offences" and that the proceedings are intended to ensure Lavender is "barred from working in any role in policing in the future."