Met Police: Sacked PC Sam Grigg jailed for false imprisonment

Sam Grigg's housemate thought he was going to rape her, the court heard

A Met Police officer with "an obsession with BDSM" who used duct tape to restrain his housemate has been jailed for four years for false imprisonment.

PC Sam Grigg attacked Natasha Rabinowitz in Twickenham, south-west London, on 2 December.

Grigg, 36, tied her to a sofa by her wrists and ankles and later hurt her twice with a kitchen knife as he cut her free, Kingston Crown Court heard.

Ms Rabinowitz said she had experienced nightmares and flashbacks since.

Grigg, of Hazel Close in Twickenham, was off duty at the time. He previously pleaded guilty to false imprisonment and assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

Sentencing him, Judge Peter Lodder KC mentioned Grigg's "obsession" with BDSM. The defendant's ex-girlfriend had recounted how he said his police handcuffs "had come in useful", the judge said.

The attack took place in Hazel Close, Twickenham

Earlier, when describing the assault, prosecutor Alexander Agbamu said Grigg had bent Ms Rabinowitz over the sofa before tying her ankles together and taping over her mouth.

At one point, a postman rang the doorbell, and Grigg left briefly to answer, before "smiling" down at her as she attempted to free herself by edging towards a drawer she believed might contain a knife.

"He seemed to enjoy what he was seeing," Mr Agbamu said.

'I am the police'

When Ms Rabinowitz asked him to remove her bindings, Grigg replied: "If you ask nicely, I'll take them off."

He eventually got a knife from the kitchen and used it to cut the tape, nicking her ankle and wrist in the process.

She asked him to avoid cutting her again, and Grigg said: "What will you do if I do.?... Who are you going to tell? I am the police."

Grigg was sentenced at Kingston Crown Court

During a search of his bedroom, officers found a bag of cable ties, several pairs of handcuffs, bundles of rope, a gag and ball, and four silk cloths.

They also found a DVD with an image of a woman bound with rope and with duct tape over her mouth on the cover.

"I genuinely, like 100%, thought he was going to rape me," Ms Rabinowitz messaged a friend after the attack.

A victim impact statement was read out by Mr Agbamu, who said she had considered harming herself and had experienced a deterioration in her mental health.

'Let down the Met'

Speaking after the hearing, Met Police Cmdr Jon Savell described what happened as "appalling" and "a terrifying ordeal" for Grigg's housemate.

He said: "He's let down the Met and his colleagues who are committed to protecting Londoners."

Grigg was suspended from duty after being charged on 8 December, two days after his arrest, and was dismissed without notice on 30 January.

He will spend an extended period of two years on licence after his release.

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