Woman who accused police officer partner of rape says Notts Police ‘closed ranks’ to protect him

The woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, says the officer raped her up to four times a week, used police restraint techniques on her and locked her in her own home during a period of physical abuse and controlling behaviour which peaked during pandemic lockdown restrictions.

She says he was questioned under caution after she reported him to the force, but was never arrested or suspended.

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

Detective Chief Inspector Andrew Reynolds, deputy head of the Nottinghamshire Police’s professional standards directorate, said the force takes allegations of rape and sexual assault “extremely seriously”.

He said the report was subject to a “thorough criminal investigation” but did not meet the evidential threshold for a referral to the Crown Prosecution Service, meaning no charges were brought.

It follows new figures from Nottinghamshire Police showing the number of sexual misconduct allegations against officers had increased significantly.

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

The woman spoke out after reading how Caroline Henry, Nottinghamshire police and crime commissioner, told a meeting on police performance she had been “assured” a damning report into standards at the Metropolitan Police was not mirrored locally.

The woman 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.

“I find it offensive and insulting that the commissioner made that sweeping statement about the situation at the Met not being reflected locally. It was like salt to the wound.

“I have exhausted every single avenue to report this. I resent the fact they’ve protected him. I feel like I’ve been punished for daring to speak out.”

Mrs Henry said she was “satisfied correct procedures are in place to deal with allegations of misconduct”.

The woman asked for a review by her case by the Independent Office for Police Conduct watchdog – which has since said the force’s investigation was “not reasonable and proportionate” and ordered parts of the case to be re-investigated.

The woman says when she first decided to report the alleged rape and controlling behaviour, two officers came to speak to her, who she feels discouraged her from pursuing the claims.

“The officers said reporting the rape would be humiliating for me, the court case could last three years and I wouldn’t be able to back out once I’d made the decision. They said my family would hear intimate details about my sex life,” she said. “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.”

She says a subsequent formal interview to record the rape allegations was conducted by two officers, but she was shocked when one identified themselves as an acquaintance of the alleged perpetrator.

The woman says 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 made plans to leave the relationship, but these fell apart when the Covid-19 pandemic began, leaving her stuck in the house for “a year of hell”.

The woman also says the officer sometimes locked her in the house, at times forcing her to use a window to go outside, and banned her from using the car.

The woman said there were “no red flags” when she first met the man who became her partner, but she noticed a “decline in his attitudes” after he joined the police.

Describing how the abuse began, she said: “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 after reporting the rape to the police, she felt “passed pillar to post”, and had to speak to multiple officers about the allegations.

Traumatised

The woman said she has felt “criminalised and re-traumatised” by reporting the alleged rape.

She said: “I know there will be others like me, but I understand why somebody would not come forward because if I could go again, I would not report it to the police.

“I feel more traumatised by everything that’s happened since.

“I am a completely different person now. I have been absolutely ruined by the whole experience.

“I feel I’ve had to face a bully and I am starting to feel angry about how I was treated.

“They have taken away my quality of life over the last couple of years and I am resentful I have never been treated as a victim of crime.”

She said she feels like police forces admitting there is a problem is “the most important part” of change.

She added: “Not making police officers accountable for their actions is a recipe for disaster.”

Thorough investigation

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.

“After a thorough review of the evidence it did not meet the evidential threshold for referral to the Crown Prosecution Service for a decision on whether to charge.

“There was also a separate investigation into whether the police officer’s behaviour breached the standards of professional behaviour. This investigation was referred to the IOPC, who referred it back to the directorate for local investigation. The investigation found the allegations could not be substantiated.

“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 has invested heavily in ensuring victims of sexual assault are fully supported and this includes our purpose-built Sexual Assault Referral Centre in Nottingham.

“Nottinghamshire Police work hard to ensure public can have trust and confidence in the processes and procedures we have in force, to ensure that our officers and staff meet the high standards expected of them.

“If any officer is found to fall below the high standards we expect then they may face formal disciplinary proceedings, which can lead to serious penalties including dismissal and being placed on the College of Policing barred list.”

Holding to account

Mrs Henry said she is “passionate” about preventing incidents and ensuring the force supports survivors.

She said: “While my role does not include any powers involving misconduct hearings, I am responsible for holding the Chief Constable to account on behalf of the public and ensuring the force is being effectively run, with the highest possible standards.

“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 the correct procedures are in place to deal with allegations of misconduct and that the force’s professional standards cepartment is extremely swift and thorough and has a strong response to misconduct allegations.”

Support is available

If you have been affected by domestic abuse and need help, see nationaldomesticviolencehelpline.org.uk

You can also call the 24-hour National Domestic Violence Freephone Helpline on 0808 200 0247.

If something sexual happened to you without your consent – or you're not sure – talk to Rape Crisis. It’s rape and sexual abuse support line is open 24 hours a day, every day of the year. Call free on 0808 500 2222.