New York, August 30: A court in New York on Friday allowed two former policemen, who admitted to had sex with an 18-year-old handcuffed suspect, walk free. The bench of Justice Danny Chun dropped the rape charges, after citing lack of evidence and stating that the victim's credibility was "seriously, seriously questionable". The accused ex-cops, Eddie Martins and Richard Hall, will remain on probation for next five years despite not being sentenced to jail. New York Police Officer Daniel Pantaleo Sacked Over Choking Death of Black Man

Martins and Hall were accused of having sex with the victim in September 2017, after arresting her on the charge of possessing marijuana. The duo offered to release the girl if she agrees to have sex with them, claim investigators.

Both of them took turns to have sex with her inside their van before setting her free. The victim had immediately rushed to the hospital where a DNA test confirmed that two men had sex with her. A police complaint was registered against Martins and Halls.

After the inquiry was initiated, both resigned from the New York police department. Although the girl alleged that she was raped, the accused insisted that the sex was consensual.

During the course of hearing, the court also struck down the provision which allowed policemen in New York to have consensual sex with prison inmates.

Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez has expressed disappointment over the release of Martins and Halls, claiming that he would have preferred to see them serving prison term. The woman's counsel, Michael N David, also expressed dissent over the court's decision, calling it "complete injustice".

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 30, 2019 11:22 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).