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A former Houston police officer is on trial for handcuffing a waitress, driving her to a secluded park and repeatedly raping her while on duty.

In opening statements today, the prosecution claimed the Houston Police Department had 'a rapist on its payroll,' referring to Abraham Joseph, 28, who is facing two counts of aggravated sexual assault against the woman, an immigrant from El Salvador.

'He had a badge, he had a gun, he had a marked patrol car and evil in his heart,' prosecutor Heyward Carter told jurors.

He accused Joseph of using his power as a police officer to target someone who spoke little English and would fear deportation if she spoke up about the assault, which took place on January 2, 2011.

The first witnesses to take the stand in the shocking case included the victim's aunt, Ana Riviz, and her partner Israel Ramirez, who described how the waitress came home crying and had bruises on her wrists, arms and legs, according to the Houston Chronicle.

They told jurors in Harris County courtroom that the waitress said the officer handcuffed her outside her workplace and drove her to an unlit park in southwest Houston where - still cuffed - he raped her multiple times, including on the trunk of his police cruiser.

The couple said at first they didn't believe the distraught woman.

'I just never thought that a police officer would do that to a person,' Ramirez testified through a translator.

They drove back to Townwood Park where she said it happened and found tyre tracks and body fluids, he said. But the family members debated whether to call police.

'She didn't have any legal documentation,' Ramirez said. 'The fear was that they'd come and say, 'look, you're lying,' then arrest her and deport her.'

A number of hours after the attack, they finally called 911 and Ramirez returned to the park with an officer who recovered evidence.

Meanwhile, Ana Riviz went to hospital with the victim, who is in her 20s.

The waitress told police that Joseph picked up her and a man in the parking lot of the cantina where she worked but let the man out at a gas station before continuing on to the park.

Joseph insists he isn't guilty of the alleged rape and defense attorneys claimed today that the waitress consented to the sex.

'Abraham Joseph was a police officer and while he should have been doing his job and out patrolling, Mr. Joseph was having sex with someone who was not his wife,' defense attorney Nicole Deborde said, according to ABC News.

But she said Joseph didn't do 'anything that was not by agreement.'

Deborde added that the witnesses and the victim 'have a great deal to gain' for their serious allegations as the woman has filed a lawsuit against Joseph, according to the Houston Chronicle.

She also said there were 'little things' that didn't add up in the case.
Several other witnesses including Houston police officers testified today.

HPD patrol officer Vernon English was one of the first responders to the call and reviewed photographs of the tyre tracks and bodily fluids found at the park.

He said he had trained Joseph, who had been with the department for just one and a half years and was relieved of duty the same day the alleged attack was reported.

'He was really quiet,' English said. 'I was one of the only senior officers to my knowledge he would have a conversation with.'

Prosecutors claimed Joseph used his position to target a vulnerable victim who spoke little English and would fear deportation if she reported the rape.

But Carter said: 'Abraham Joseph made one mistake, just one: He underestimated (the victim's) bravery and her willingness to come forward.'

The waitress is expected to take the stand on Wednesday to give her account. If he's found guilty, Joseph faces anywhere from five years to life in prison.

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Flux

The audacity of some people: No, the only mistake Joseph made was raping 2 women.

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Screw in the screws tighter, clip the loose wires I was truly inspired til my muse told me she’s too tired