A schoolteacher who was snatched off a Manhattan street and allegedly violently sexually assaulted by an off-duty NYPD officer says she was afraid for her life during the attack.
The woman tearfully recounted the assault on the witness stand Friday, as officer Michael Pena stood trial on charges of predatory sexual assault and rape.
She said Pena ordered her into a courtyard and threatened to shoot her in the face if she resisted.
Through his lawyer, Pena has admitted attacking the woman, but claimed he never managed to have intercourse during the assault.
New York law imposes lighter punishments on would-be rapists who fail to complete the act.
Pena could get life in prison if convicted on the top charges.
Pena joined the police force in 2008. He has been suspended without pay.
After Pena was charged, Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly called the allegations "very disturbing" and ordered an investigation into his background to see if there was evidence of other misconduct.
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Pena's case is the second rape trial involving NYPD officers in the last year. In May, a jury acquitted Kenneth Moreno and Franklin Mata of raping a woman, but found them guilty of official misconduct, a misdemeanor.
The two were called to help a drunken woman get out of a cab in December 2008.
The woman said she awoke to being raped after passing out. Moreno said he cuddled with her in her bed, but there was no sex. Mata said he was napping on her sofa.
Both officers were fired from the force within hours of the misdemeanor verdict. Moreno was sentenced to a year in jail and Mata received a two-month sentence.
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