Nottinghamshire Police 'closed ranks' over officer rape claims

An internal police misconduct hearing found the officer had no case to answer

A woman who says she was repeatedly raped by her ex-partner, who is a serving police officer, has criticised a force's handling of the allegations.

The woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said the officer raped her up to four times a week, and locked her in her own home.

She said Nottinghamshire Police "closed ranks" to unfairly protect him.

The officer has always denied all the allegations, and an internal misconduct hearing found he had no case to answer.

However, the police watchdog has ordered the force to re-investigate parts of the case.

The woman said her former partner used police restraint techniques on her during a period of physical abuse and controlling behaviour, which peaked during pandemic lockdown restrictions.

She came forward to the Local Democracy Reporting Service after reading comments by Nottinghamshire Police and Crime Commissioner Caroline Henry, who told a meeting on police performance she had been "assured" that a damning report into standards at the Metropolitan Police was not mirrored locally.

'They've protected him'

She said: "I've kept my mouth shut because I didn't want to anger my ex-partner, but I want to change the system.

"I have been the most perfect victim, I have not angered him or retaliated.

"Yet I feel the police have criminalised me. I'm squeaky clean and they still manage to make me the bad guy. They have closed ranks and protected him."

The woman said the officer was questioned under caution after she reported him to the force, but he was never arrested or suspended during the investigations.

"I have exhausted every single avenue to report this. I resent the fact that they've protected him," she said.

Nottinghamshire Police has been told to re-investigate aspects of the case

Det Ch Insp Andrew Reynolds, deputy head of Nottinghamshire Police Professional Standards Directorate, said the allegations were subject to a "thorough criminal investigation" but did not meet the evidential threshold for a referral to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), meaning no charges were brought.

The force also found the officer had "no case to answer" for gross misconduct in an internal professional standards probe.

But the woman asked for a review by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) and it has since said the force's investigation was "not reasonable and proportionate", and has ordered the force to re-investigate parts of the case.

The woman said when she first reported the alleged rape and controlling behaviour, two officers came to speak to her, who she felt discouraged her from pursuing the claims.

She said: "The officers said reporting the rape would be humiliating for me.

"They said my family would hear intimate details about my sex life.

"The officers said it would be mortifying and it didn't take much for me to think it wasn't worth bothering.

"At no point did they say they would support me. At that point, I realised it was all about putting me off."

'Year of hell'

She said a subsequent formal interview to record the rape allegations was carried out by two officers - with one officer saying they were an acquaintance of the alleged perpetrator.

The woman said the interview went ahead despite the officer's disclosure, and she told them her partner had regularly woken her in the night and raped and assaulted her.

She said she planned to leave the relationship but the Covid-19 pandemic began, leaving her stuck in the house for "a year of hell".

The woman said the officer sometimes locked her in the house and banned her from using the car.

She said she was left "frightened" and "walking on eggshells" at home.

"He was sexually assaulting me during the night but he told me he had no recollection of it.

"He made me question reality, which I now know is gaslighting.

"He used police restraint techniques on me. When I told him to leave me alone, he would get my hands behind my back and use pressure points to control me.

"I didn't want my family to know so I was covering up bruising with make-up," she said.

She said she later left the home but the officer would follow her home from work, leave items on her car and follow her in marked police cars.

"I feel more traumatised by everything that's happened since I escaped my abuser," she said.

She said she had suffered panic attacks and doctors believe she has post-traumatic stress disorder.

Nottinghamshire PCC Caroline Henry said she was "satisfied that the correct procedures are in place to deal with allegations of misconduct"

Det Ch Insp Reynolds said: "Nottinghamshire Police takes all reports of rape and sexual assault extremely seriously and this report was subject to a thorough criminal investigation by specialist police officers.

"We have met with the complainant on several occasions and been open and transparent through the whole procedure. This case was investigated thoroughly and professionally, with oversight from the IOPC.

"The complainant has asked for a review, which has been conducted by the IOPC. The IOPC have directed that aspects of the case are reinvestigated, and this is currently ongoing."

The force received 63 allegations of sexual misconduct against officers and police staff in 2022 - the highest number in the past six years.

Nottinghamshire Police and Crime Commissioner Caroline Henry said: "In my regular accountability board meetings with the chief constable, I scrutinise force performance in a number of areas - and misconduct one of the regular topics of discussion.

"I am satisfied that the correct procedures are in place to deal with allegations of misconduct and that the force's Professional Standards Department is extremely swift and thorough and has a strong response to misconduct allegations."