South Yorkshire Police officer not suspended during rape investigation

The woman, who cannot be named, said she was attacked by a colleague in 2008 and reported it eight years later after receiving counselling

A former South Yorkshire Police officer who says she was raped by a fellow officer has told the BBC that she believes the force failed her.

The woman, who cannot be named, said the accused officer was not suspended while the allegation was investigated.

Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) documents said there was "not enough evidence to bring charges".

South Yorkshire Police said it could not comment on the specific details of a case, in line with national guidance.

However, a spokesperson said it was "committed to continually improving our handling of cases involving serving officers".

Diana, not her real name, said she felt badly let down by the police force after making a complaint about her fellow officer.

"I used to be such a bubbly character but the process just destroyed me," she said.

"The rape investigation was more horrific than what that male officer did to me."

'Conflict of interest'

Diana said she was raped in 2008 but only made a report in 2016 after receiving counselling to deal with the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder.

She claims that her allegation was not taken seriously and not thoroughly investigated.

"I remember making a disclosure to an inspector from Professional Standards who was investigating the case and that inspector told me he'd known my attacker for many years," she said.

"I'm thinking that there's a conflict of interest straight away."

She continued: "Throughout the whole process I just felt like there was this attitude of, 'you're a police officer, shake yourself down and get on with it' - I just wasn't believed."

CPS documents examined by BBC News show that Diana's alleged attacker was arrested and questioned by the police in 2016 connection with an allegation of rape.

However, the reports go on to state that in the opinion of a CPS lawyer there was no "realistic prospect of obtaining a conviction".

South Yorkshire Police said the force "adheres to national guidance from the College of Policing"

Diana claims that at no point during the investigation was the fellow officer suspended from his duties.

"I remember after he was interviewed by Professional Standards, he came into the canteen and he purposely walked past my table with a big smile on his face," she said.

"That was intimidating."

She added: "Professional Standards told me that because the case wasn't going to court, there would be no misconduct process as the officer had done nothing wrong."

Both Diana and the man she alleges attacked her no longer work for South Yorkshire Police.

Following a Freedom of Information request in 2021, South Yorkshire Police disclosed that between 2015 and 2020, eight complaints about sexual abuse had been made against staff where the complainant had been another member of the police service.

The force told BBC News between 2021 and 2022 a further 12 complaints were received on the same criteria.

In 2022, the force's Chief Constable Lauren Poultney, who was appointed the previous year, told Sky News that the force would "root out" sexual abusers from its ranks.

Diana said that before leaving the constabulary she campaigned internally to make it easier for officers to report allegations of sexual abuse committed by colleagues.

A spokesperson for the force said: "A lot of work has already been done across the force to ensure those who wish to make a report feel like they can do so, and the support is available for victims."

Responding to the specific allegations made by Diana, the spokesperson said the force could "neither confirm nor deny the identity of any individual who may or may not have been subject to a South Yorkshire Police investigation".

The Home Secretary Suella Braverman said a review would examine the current culture in all police forces

They said the force "adheres to national guidance from the College of Policing", along with its Deputy Chief Constable holding regular meetings with the Professional Standards Department "to review the case of each employee who is subject to an internal investigation".

"When officers and staff behave in ways which do not reflect our high standards, we robustly and thoroughly investigate each and every report, and launch criminal investigations as required", the spokesperson added.

Speaking earlier this month in the House of Commons, Suella Braverman said a government-commissioned review would look at whether "there is a culture of fear, with people scared to speak up and call out unacceptable behaviour" within the police service nationally.

The home secretary was responding to an urgent question about former Metropolitan Police officer David Carrick, who carried out dozens of rapes and other sexual offences whilst he was a serving officer.

Labour's Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said that there had been "a lack of leadership from the Government on police standards for years".