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Former West Yorkshire Detective Cleared of Sex Toy Assault After Jury Verdict

Jurors weighed a consent dispute against DNA traces on a seized sex toy.

Overview

  • A Bradford Crown Court jury found Claudine Binns not guilty of assault by penetration and attempted assault by penetration after nearly four hours of deliberations.
  • Prosecutors said the incident happened at Binns’s home in Holmfirth in 2022, with the complainant alleging non‑consensual penetration after consensual sex.
  • Investigators recovered a sex toy from Binns’s home that carried the complainant’s DNA, which the jury heard alongside a prepared statement from Binns describing consensual activity.
  • Binns denied the allegations, rejected claims of drink or food spiking, and pointed to negative drug tests and a police search with a drugs dog, while character references cited her 32‑year police career and commendations.
  • West Yorkshire Police said the former detective inspector was suspended in May 2022 and retired that September, and the force will now consider internal misconduct proceedings.