Police Sexual Misconduct Claims

Two recent horrific cases at the Metropolitan Police related to serving officers who committed the most heinous crimes, severely damaging public confidence in policing and highlighting alarming failings with regards to missed opportunities relating to predatory offending and preventing police misconduct. They were;

• Wayne Couzens – In 2021 Wayne Couzens kidnapped 33-year-old Sarah Everard as she walked home in Clapham, South London, raping and murdering her. He had previously been linked to a number of incidents of a sexual nature, from which no police action taken, including flashing and having been reported to police for allegedly driving around naked from the waist down. Checks on his background were not done “correctly” when he moved from Kent Police to the Metropolitan Police in 2018.
• PC David Carrick – In January 2023, PC David Carrick admitted committing 48 rapes over two decades as a serving officer at the Met, with the force admitting errors in failing to spot his escalating threat of danger, having been informed about nine incidents from 2000 to 2021. These included eight alleged attacks or clashes he had with women before the arrest that led to his convictions.

The Met subsequently announced that a total of 1,633 cases of alleged sexual offences or domestic violence, involving 1,071 officers and other staff from the last 10 years, would be reviewed as a result of police malpractice.

An abuse complaints hotline was subsequently established and received 700 calls in a single day about alleged sexual and domestic violence committed by officers.

Vicky Richardson, Head of Civil Liberties at Hudgell Solicitors, said: “Our legal team has supported people who have been exploited by serving police officers and who have engaged in inappropriate relationships with them.

“Sadly, in such cases it can often be the situation that victims do not want to make a complaint as they either fear they will not be believed, or in terms of the most vulnerable, they do not understand they have been exploited and abused.

“It is significant that the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) says that abuse of position for sexual purpose has now become the most common form of corruption it deals with. This is not a matter limited to one force, despite the Met Police being the force in the headlines.”

“The sheer number of complaints being made about police gross misconduct for a sexual purpose which the police watchdog says may be much lower than the actual number of cases, is deeply concerning.”

“I am hopeful that the recent cases will encourage those that have suffered sexual abuse will come forward rather than deter victims who need help, support and protection.”

We understand that challenging the police and the state can be difficult. Hudgells has a number of experienced lawyers specialising in actions against the police who will assess your case and offer support and guidance at every stage of the process.

With a high success rate in securing justice for those affected by misconduct and abuse, we empower people to sue the police and challenge authorities whose actions have impacted their civil liberties and human rights.

Our team is dedicated to offering advice and support to anybody who feels they have been exploited in this way. It is often only by speaking to somebody completely independent, that a victim can understand the full extent of how they have been abused and their right to police misconduct compensation.

If you have been subjected to similar treatment by any police officer, you may have grounds to pursue a claim.

Please contact us in strict confidence for more information by calling the office and selecting option 5 for the actions against the police team, alternatively you can fill out a start my claim form for a callback.

Following the abduction, rape and murder of Sarah Everard by Metropolitan Police officer Wayne Couzens, the Angiolini Inquiry was launched in November 2021.

This two-part, independent non-statutory inquiry was established to examine the circumstances and decision-making relating to the vetting and re-vetting of Couzens, including whether any potential risks and/or red flags were missed, as well as the extent to which any issues relating to his behaviour, particularly in relation to women, were known and raised by colleagues.

Following the case of PC David Carrick, Home Secretary Suella Braverman confirmed the Angiolini Inquiry would be extended to cover the conduct of Carrick and the potential opportunities the Met, other police forces and organisations may have had to identify his pattern of behaviour and to stop him being a police officer and offending.

Having concluded the first part of the inquiry, the second part will now also consider the performance of other forces and examine whether policing systems, policies and processes for the recruitment, vetting and transfer of police officers are fit for purpose, and can help to identify those who display misogynistic and/or predatory attitudes and behaviours.

It is also set to investigate which aspects of police culture observed across police forces enable misogynistic and/or predatory attitudes and behaviours, and whether existing measures to prevent sexually motivated crimes against women in public spaces are adequate.

At Hudgell Solicitors, we believe that given the failings in these two recent cases, and the Met revealing it is now reviewing 1,633 cases of alleged sexual offences or domestic violence involving 1,071 officers and other staff from the last 10 years, a full statutory Public Inquiry is essential.

A Public Inquiry will bring with it the legal powers to secure vital disclosure of evidence and call witnesses to give evidence. Only with full public scrutiny of the Met’s performance will the true scale of failings be uncovered, changes made, and public confidence restored.

Hudgell Solicitors has represented core participants in several public inquiries, including The Manchester Arena Bombing, The Infected Blood Inquiry, Grenfell Tower Inquiry, Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse and the ongoing Horizon Post Office Scandal.

If you have been subjected to similar treatment by any Police Officer, you may have grounds to pursue a claim. Please contact us in full confidence for more information.