Police forces are failing vulnerable women who say they have been sexually exploited by officers, BBC learns.
Police forces are failing vulnerable women who say they have been sexually exploited by officers, the BBC has learned.Evidence has been deleted in "botched" inquiries and out of 500 allegations of officers abusing their position, just 24 were charged, according to BBC data.Police sexual misconduct is under the spotlight like never before following the rape and murder of Sarah Everard by serving officer Wayne Couzens, and the uncovering of serial rapist David Carrick.
Cases the BBC has investigated involve women known to be rape and domestic abuse victims and an adult who was sexually assaulted as a child Years later, she bumped into Whitehurst in a bar, at a time when she was facing an ongoing legal dispute with her ex-partner. She says he then persistently pursued a sexual relationship with her in WhatsApp messages seen by the BBC.
Charlotte says she rang Warwickshire Police while hiding under the duvet of her bed but officers took 45 minutes to arrive at her home, and they didn't take a statement. In a phone call with the BBC, Whitehurst denied abusing his position for a sexual purpose and said he did not regard Charlotte as vulnerable when he met her again.
One woman - a victim of child sexual abuse with complex mental health problems - told Bedfordshire Police officers that she had been raped by an inspector.The BBC has learned that footage of both visits was later deleted. On one of these occasions, the inspector accused by the woman was in charge of the control room which handles callouts.The officer has always denied the rape allegation. He initially said his relationship with the woman was platonic before later admitting they had sex.
Four women reported that the lead officer in a rape investigation team had had sex with them. All had previously reported being victims of rape or sexual assault. We found out that 536 allegations have been made - but just 24 officers have been handed a criminal charge. "Complaints should be going out to another force and not being done internally," she says. "Who is policing the police professional standard departments?"Baroness Casey led a review into the Met which found it to be institutionally misogynist
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