The rot at the met goes right to the watchdog

Michael Lockwood is not and never has been a police officer. The IOPC is a completely independent body. It used to hire ex cops but no one will work there anymore because they can’t investigate their way out of a paper bag and has a terrible reputation.

I’m not going to seek to defend the met on the Casey report because I’d have to be mad. But there isn’t any profession where men in positions of power are exposed to have some done something like this. From the NHS to teaching, criminal justice, the churcg, it’s everywhere sadly.

@Alltheprettyseahorses The threshold should be lower because of the position he holds and the possibility that if true he would be more lenient on similar offences. With greater power should come greater responsibility - historically it did.

Feminism and Women's Rights - it is a section of Mumsnet (though strictly speaking not called that now). Come on over, there are some lovely people there.

And yes, I do know this happened in the 80s. And I still say that sex between a teenager and a 27/28 year old is a big age gap - there's a massive gulf in terms of life experiences and emotional maturity. I wouldn't blink if a 58 year old slept with a 70 year old, but this was an adult with a child.

What’s the FWR corner? Genuine question.

Obviously we all know about the conviction rates for rape. The FWR corner knows best of all that there's rules about this stuff and how it's discussed.

The Processes don’t work, in case you hadn’t noticed sexual offences have been effectively decriminalised in this country because when women TELL US they have been raped and assaulted we do not believe them, and insist they prove this beyond all reasonable doubt. Let’s face it that’s nigh on impossible. So no one ever gets successfully prosecuted.
The processes don’t work.

Summerishereagain · Today 07:30
It’s awful. My 3 year old had a visit from the police at nursery last week and I was chatting to her about how the police are here to help and for the first time I didn’t know if I should be giving my girls the message of if you lost or don’t feel safe then go to the police. I did say it to them but I felt very uneasy doing it.
I told mine to find another kid and then tell their Mum who will know what to do. X

He has never served in a police force. He's a career civil servant. The IOPC has hired a lawyer for an independent review into his 'resignation'. Court case is later this month.

The girl was a child under 16 and he was 27 or 28. Would this mean the girl was over 14?

The alleged offence occurred in the 1980s.

The thresholds are the thresholds. And innocent until proven guilty. We have processes for a reason.

Given his role I would, if investigating, have a LOWER threshold for prosecuting

Why? Anyway, rational examination of the situation would lead to the conclusion it is more likely if the threshold is different (I'm certainly not saying it is) it would be higher rather than the same as that normally used and extremely unlikely to be lower, especially when a lower threshold could make it more likely for a genuine abuser to use that to their advantage in escaping legal justice possibly making the reputational effects on the CPS and police of a high-profile accused person far worse.

Anyone has the right to the presumption of innocence. Given his role I would, if investigating, have a LOWER threshold for prosecuting. Nothing should be inferred from a decision to go to court.

@Nightlystroll I think we are on the same page! It's the only "link"/link

He was the IOPC of England and Wales. He doesn't have a singular link with the Met. He's never worked for them. Therefore, to say his charge reflects solely on the Met, isn't right.

Still a pretty appalling accusation and a big age gap. What on earth was he thinking of?

Thank you. That's what I thought.

There's a court case to be heard. Innocent until proven guilty.

The link with the Met is that the IOPC investigates complaints against Met officers - like it does across all forces.

He doesnt work for the Met. He's never worked for the Met. He is in no way connected with the Met. He's the director general of the IOPC for England and Wales.

We don't know the facts. You don't know the facts. That's for the court to hear and decide.

Excuse my ignorance but how does this relate to the Met? I thought the IOPC was independent?

Utterly disgraceful and shaming for the Met, yet again.

As if they are going to charge the ex chief of the watchdog without a very strong case! You think the woman is lying? FGS.

Its utterly revolting. There was a thread recently whereby a poster was furious that people said they wouldnt date someone from the Met. THIS, along with many, many other examples is exactly why people are disgusted with the Met. It just gets worse and worse.

How many cases of proven false accusations (that actually get to court) are there as a total percentage of the whole of rape cases? Not those cases where it's not proven, cases where it's clear the police have got it completely wrong?

Yes, he is allowed due process but he was a highly influential man, let's not pretend that it's at all likely that someone just turning up and making accusations with no evidence at all would get very far.