Oklahoma police officer guilty of raping women on his beat

An Oklahoma City police officer has been convicted of raping and sexually assaulting black women in the poor area he worked in.

Daniel Holtzclaw, 29, stopped the women while out on patrol, searched them and then forced himself upon them.

Holtzclaw was convicted of assaults on eight victims, including a grandmother in her 50s and a 17-year-old.

The jury recommended a prison term totalling 263 years. He is due to be sentenced in January.

"Justice was done today, and a criminal wearing a uniform is going to prison now," Oklahoma County District Attorney David Prater said.

The court heard from several women.

The grandmother said she was driving home late at night when Holtzclaw pulled her over, asked if she had been drinking and then told her to get into his squad car and and ordered her to perform oral sex.

Another victim, who was 17 at the time, said Holtzclaw pulled up in his car as she walked home one night, drove her there, told her he had to search her, forced off her clothes and raped her.

Holtzclaw's lawyer insisted his client had been attempting to help the drug addicts and prostitutes he encountered in his work. Many of the women had arrest records or histories of drug abuse.

Image copyrightAP

Image captionThere were protests outside the courtroom as the jury deliberated