2nd Met Police officer has been charged with rape

[Rinoachicken]

He worked in the same dept as WC.

It’s being very widely reported, except by the BBC.

AIBU to be sickened and wonder WHY the BBC are not reporting this?

Link: www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/oct/03/metropolitan-police-officer-charged-rape-hertfordshire?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

Please don’t speculate on ongoing cases.
When The Hillsborough cases were ongoing people kept very quiet because they didn’t want the case to collapse because of the possibility of an unfair trial. If they can do that, despite the high emotions, so can everyone else.

There was an interesting article in The Telegraph over the weekend (sorry, I cant link as it was behind a paywall) about an anonymous study being carried out where numerous officers are frightened to whistleblow about unacceptable behaviour of fellow officers because of the personal risk to themselves.

There is a genuine fear amongst officers that if they report a fellow officer that they will find themselves unable to call for backup if a situation turns violent while on patrol.

Address this problem and officers will be more comfortable turning in the bad apples before they start to rot the barrel.

@vivainsomnia

No offence but you need to wake up and realise the public act the way they do towards officers because they're scared of you I think it is fair to say a sub-section of the public are scared. Not all public is, not all women. Those who are not as just not as vocal about it.

I never said its specifically women who are scared, kids are scared of the police, elderly people, young people. The police can't be trusted until there's a full audit into why shit like this is allowed to happen and swept under the rug.

@Hdhdjejdj

Please don’t speculate on ongoing cases. When The Hillsborough cases were ongoing people kept very quiet because they didn’t want the case to collapse because of the possibility of an unfair trial. If they can do that, despite the high emotions, so can everyone else.

This. We don't the case to collapse and a potentially guilty person to walk free.

So the alleged offence happened last year and the arrest is happening now? Gosh I wonder what happened this week that has caused some craven misogynists to think 'oh crap better do something because of the angry women

No, it’s taken a year for him to be charged, not arrested. And that unfortunately isn’t even that long a timescale. The investigation would have taken several months - obviously with forensics etc, there is a delay. And the CPS are stacked up. I have some on my workload from June which still haven’t got a decision and are far simpler investigations

The CPS desperately needs more staff too as far as I can work out

@mustlovegin

Dorisspider

One account, one officer then. What are we supposed to take away from it?

That there is something badly wrong in our police force if the idea that a handful of them are rapists is just seen as ‘ah well, one of those things’

Moving onto a case we can discuss, I wonder how many people are aware of this case.
www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/police-officer-assault-autistic-boy-attack-school-b1917378.html

Yeah, I saw that on the ch4 news. Another thug legitimised by a uniform. His mum hadn't even seen the footage until the news team showed it to her.

[quote happystrummer]click the link on this tweet. Its a document of all the police officers charged, what they were charged for and the outcome over the last decade or so. It's really shocking. It's clearly not a few bad apples

twitter.com/mikewhoatv/status/1443541033002930178[/quote]
These are just the ones charged! There are so many more that have no action taken against them, so in reality this list is very small compared to the number of cops who are really engaging in criminal activity.
On a side note how sickening the amount of suspended sentences for child related crimes. Those on drugs got more than those watching/producing/distributing child sex abuse images.

@kierenthecommunity

So the alleged offence happened last year and the arrest is happening now? Gosh I wonder what happened this week that has caused some craven misogynists to think 'oh crap better do something because of the angry women

No, it’s taken a year for him to be charged, not arrested. And that unfortunately isn’t even that long a timescale. The investigation would have taken several months - obviously with forensics etc, there is a delay. And the CPS are stacked up. I have some on my workload from June which still haven’t got a decision and are far simpler investigations

The CPS desperately needs more staff too as far as I can work out

The reports I’ve seen and heard are that he was arrested on Sat (2 Oct 2021) and suspended from duty then. He was charged on the Sun (3 Oct). There was no mention of him being arrested a year ago when the alleged crime was committed, and he’s been allowed to carry on with duties for the past year.

We don’t know when the allegations were first made, if it was recently then we’ll done to Hertfordshire Constabulary and the CPS for moving so quickly but if it was Sept 2020 then why is there no mention of an arrest then and why was he not suspended from duty then?

He says he really hasn't experienced the toxic culture being spoken about. He used to work in the Met.

He's a liar

@CinnamonJellyBeans

To the posters aggressively demanding "what does PP's policeman spouse do when he hears sexism and misogyny"

I hope your husbands also challenge this at work too. Do they? What do your husbands and sons do? I think if y'all could be a fly on the wall at your husband's work and your son's schools you'd be horrified. Unless you have actual evidence that your husband has challenged this, he is complicit.

Go on ask him: How many times have you stepped in and spoken up and reported sexism, homophobia, racism. Then come back here and tell us what a hero your own husband is

No institution is without misogyny otherwise it would not be perpetuated.

This is not just a police problem: It's a man problem.

I was the one who asked this question.

But to answer you: I work with my OH. Both teachers. Together in the staff room every lunch time and yes he does call out when a colleague makes sexist or derogatory comments. I wouldn't be with him if he didn't, not for a minute

He's a liar

Why do you think it's ok to categorically accuse someone of being a liar and we are supposed to take what others say at face value and we are not allowed to question it?

The reports I’ve seen and heard are that he was arrested on Sat (2 Oct 2021) and suspended from duty then. He was charged on the Sun (3 Oct). There was no mention of him being arrested a year ago when the alleged crime was committed, and he’s been allowed to carry on with duties for the past year

Oh right. My bad, I didn’t read the actual article, I assumed it was an ongoing investigation

The CPS can do same time charges if the suspect is being remanded in custody which would explain the quick decision

As for your other question about it taking so long, I genuinely can’t answer. I only hope it was a report of a historical incident - but not over confident

@Spiindoctor

I've also seen a report of another Met officer dressing as Jimmy Saville on their stag weekend.

That sounds quite mild for an overseas stag holiday.

That's very interesting as my ExH was going on a stag do about 7 years ago to Prague, and the best man wanted the groom dressed as Jimmy Saville and the other men dressed as school girls. It was a right carry on and the stag do was nearly cancelled as exH and a few other attendees - including a Met Police officer - objected to the point of saying if the others went ahead with this plan then they'd boycott the stag do.

They didn't do it in the end and I remember the Met copper being seriously against it and a lot of the men finding it completely distasteful.

Just a coincidence I suppose!

@Spiindoctor

33,000 met police to be revetted including social mediam- it's a good idea but how much of your tax do you want to go on this? And presumably it won't just be the Met. Perhaps do all people in a position of authority - that would be more interesting.

I'm more than happy for my taxes to go on wheedling out sex offenders and women haters out the police. Why would anybody object to this on grounds of "not my tax dollars"

@mustlovegin

He's a liar

Why do you think it's ok to categorically accuse someone of being a liar and we are supposed to take what others say at face value and we are not allowed to question it?

A Met police officer who never saw a single instance of sexism, misogyny or inappropriate behaviour? I'm not apologising for saying that's total bullshit

@CandyLeBonBon absolutely brilliant post of 08:11

I only hope it was a report of a historical incident - but not over confident.

That is my thought too. Hopefully we’ll find out more as time goes on.

@Onyernelly

WTF can we not have on thread where we talk about the veery real and endemic rape and murder of women in this country and centre the women in the conversation.

Not fucking once.

All those detailing the thread with other issues. You are the problem. People like you.

This!!! Say it louder for the apologists in the back

@vivainsomnia

Rape cases getting to court where the accused was completely innocent rarely happen Even if you are a judge and barrister with experience to be able to make such claim, even you acknowledge that it DOES happen.

All good to ignore that it does until it's your husband or son who is the victim.

Going back to the dark ages is going back to people condemning anyone accused of a crime because of mass political and societal movements before the person is judged by the legal system.

@vivainsomnia this is a thread about women being raped.

Why the fuck are you even talking about the tiny - and I mean SO TINY it's basically negligible- number of men falsely accused of rape?

Seriously, if you aren't interested in centring women in discussions about rape you need to fuck off and talk with the pigs at 4chan if that's your speed

@vivainsomnia

Do you have any concern about that, or are you purely focused on the absolutely tiny minority of men who are falsely accused? I do have a concern about that. I don't focus on those who are falsely accused.

I just don't assume someone is guilty until they are proven to be so. Is it so hard to understand?

Only 1% of rap S end in conviction?

So I take it you think the other 99% of women were lying???

@HereLiveIAmNotACat

And how on earth are people proposing to eliminate all rapists/evil people on our world?! People saying ‘what are you doing to change it’ what do you all suggest?! There is always going to be some (very very small minorities) who get through to jobs they shouldn’t be in cause they slip through the net.. in ANY job. The MET police bashing is sickening, this is not the doing of the police as a whole. I would love to see how people would cope without our police and without the thousands of met officers that put their lives on the line for our safety day in day out. What happened to Sarah Everard is inexplicably awful..this should be the focus. Turning it into a police bashing campaign is abhorrent

It's about the misogynistic culture which is depend into everyone area of the police is spreads like an virus through the ranks. It IS relevant to address the police as a class. If that upsets you, take it up with the people who are the problem here, not the people refusing to stand up to them.

And honestly I don't feel any safer knowing the police are about. I don't trust they'd investigate properly if anything happened to me or anyone around me. I'd feel no less safe if police were no longer on the streets

@SachaStark2

Can we just go back to judging individual for their actions rather labelling anyone who falls under the same category than the guilty party?

No, because that’s not how institutional and systemic prejudice works.

Of course, we judge Wayne Couzens by his individual acts of kidnap, rape, murder and burning of a body. And he has been judged and condemned. But that doesn’t negate the fact that this individual case is a part of our existing rape culture.

They’re not mutually exclusive, nor do they need to be.

Well said

this is a thread about women being raped
No it isn't. It's about a man arrested for alleged rape and why it was reported by the BBC.

We don't know in this case that the woman was by the accused. So turning the thread into one about raped women is derailing it and I'm not the one who did so.