The Met Police has admitted ‘victim-blaming’ after a weak girl who was groomed by an officer from the identical unit as Wayne Couzens mentioned she was informed ‘sexual predators solely exist within the minds of Mail readers’.
Lorraine, whose title has been modified to guard her identification, was groomed by former officer Phil Hunter earlier than the pressure wrote to her GP and advised she had ‘fabricated’ the allegations she reported.
She first got here into contact with Hunter, now 60, after reporting alleged stalking and harassment by the hands of an ex-partner, when the cop attended her handle to conduct a welfare verify in 2017.
Two months in the past, Hunter was discovered to have dedicated gross misconduct after pursuing an inappropriate relationship for a sexual goal with Lorraine.
The listening to was informed the disgraced officer was a ‘sexual predator’ who abused his place within the police.
It delivered to some conclusion an ordeal Lorraine first reported in 2019.
Now the pressure has issued a press release apologising for a tradition of victim-blaming which led officers to give attention to the credibility of victims, not perpetrators. MailOnline has put all of Lorraine’s claims to the Met.
The Met’s head of professionalism Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor mentioned: ‘Too usually up to now we now have victim-blamed and we now have seemed to verify the credibility of victims, somewhat than specializing in the behaviour of the suspects.
‘It is completely our focus now to guarantee that girls and ladies… can imagine that we’re taking it very significantly.’
Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor (pictured) admitted the Met had beforehand ‘victim-blamed’ and seemed into the credibility of victims somewhat than suspects
Lorraine, whose title has been modified to guard her identification, was groomed by former officer Phil Hunter earlier than his colleagues repeatedly tried to discredit her by writing to her GP and claiming she had ‘fabricated’ the crimes she reportedÂ
Lorraine’s ordeal started when Hunter was despatched to her house to conduct a welfare verify in 2017. He gave her his private quantity and inspired her to achieve out to him.
Over the following two years, he despatched Lorraine dozens of sexual textual content messages and referred to as her late at night time, whereas failing to say he had been suspended by the pressure.
Lorraine continued to report incidents of alleged harassment to Hunter, who she says remoted her from family and friends and informed her solely he may be certain that her claims can be investigated.Â
When Lorraine managed to report Hunter’s behaviour in direction of her, she mentioned Met officers informed her that sexual predator law enforcement officials ‘solely exist within the minds of Every day Mail readers’.
MailOnline can now reveal that shortly after she lodged a criticism about Hunter, the Met started contacting her GP and requested intimate particulars of her well being data, in addition to telling the apply Lorraine ‘might be affected by psychological well being points’.
A letter despatched by a nurse working for the Met to her GP said she ought to be seen ‘urgently’, accusing her of ‘fabricating’ crimes she reported to the pressure.
A forensic psychological well being nurse seconded to the Met informed the apply there have been ‘considerations’ about Lorraine’s allegations and advised ‘she has fabricated these tales herself’.
Within the letter – which was plagued by typos – she additionally mentioned she was of the view Lorraine’s experiences to police have been ‘associated to a decline in her psychological well being’ and that there have been doubts about her ‘credibility’ as a sufferer.Â
One among a number of emails to Lorraine’s GP apply from the Met mentioned she ‘might be struggling with psychological well being points’
Hunter employee within the Diplomatic and Parliamentary Safety unit, the identical unit as Wayne Couzens (pictured), who kidnapped, raped and killed Sarah Everard
The nurse requested whether or not Lorraine had a psychological well being analysis, whether or not she was on any prescribed drugs and whether or not she had a historical past with secondary psychological well being providers – which embody hospital admission and disaster groups.
Lorraine’s GP surgical procedure declined to answer to the letter as a result of it was conscious of her ongoing case towards Hunter.
The Met then carried out a Merlin – or welfare – report, claiming her allegations have been inaccurate and could possibly be an ‘intentional misrepresentation’.
The report, requested by Commander Catherine Roper – now Chief Constable at Wiltshire Police – added she had a ‘misguided notion of inappropriate contact by an ex-MPS officer [Hunter]’ and claimed she was in a ‘psychological well being disaster’. Lorraine had no historical past of psychological well being points.
‘It nonetheless impacts me,’ Lorraine informed MailOnline. ‘It is laborious to quantify how aggravating this has been.
‘After I came upon officers had written to my GP, I used to be shocked and horrified.
‘On this complete course of, I’ve obtained no justice. There isn’t a closure for me. I believed the listening to can be the top, however they will not let me go. I can not even start to heal.
‘There are nonetheless folks in my life who will not discuss to me as a result of they believed the police, that I had made all of it up.’
In a Merlin reported ordered by Commander Catherine Roper (pictured), officers claimed Lorraine had a ‘misguided notion’ of her contact with Hunter
Hunter resigned from the Met earlier than he could possibly be fired. He was initially granted a black cab licence – however this was withdrawn after the extent of his actions turned clear.
The Met has now admitted it ought to have investigated Hunter’s actions in direction of Lorraine as early as 2018.Â
As an alternative, she needed to wait one other six years till a misconduct listening to present in her favour – solely concluding on August 2 – and additional IOPC rulings are nonetheless pending, with no estimated conclusion date.
After the listening to in August, Commander Katie Lilburn of Skilled Requirements wrote to Lorraine providing an ‘unreserved apology’ for the behaviour of Hunter.
She mentioned: ‘I’m really sorry {that a} serving MPS officer so audaciously and improperly overstepped skilled boundaries in offering his private quantity and contacting you outdoors of a policing goal.Â
‘Moreover, I wish to acknowledge the compounded hurt attributable to FPC Hunter’s actions being motivated for a sexual goal particularly when it was clear that you simply have been weak.Â
‘Within the wake of the horrendous crimes of FPCs [former police officers], I don’t underestimate how traumatising and impactful the actions of FPC Hunter have to be.Â
‘I additionally wish to acknowledge the extra misery attributable to the truth that this was a sample of behaviour by FPC Hunter and he had contacted one other woman (Ms X) in an identical scenario and due to this fact the predatory sexualised behaviour ought to have been related a lot earlier by the Directorate of Skilled Requirements. I’m so sorry for this failing.’
A misconduct listening to in August discovered Hunter dedicated gross misconduct by pursuing an inappropriate relationship with Lorraine
Commander Lilburn added: ‘It’s my conclusion that our main failing has been in not becoming a member of the connections between the character of the contact FPC Hunter had with you and that he additionally had with Ms X which each occurred at across the similar time in 2017.Â
‘I agree with you that these info have been identified to the MPS in 2018 and it was cheap for the connections to have been made and a joint investigation to have been carried out into the sample of behaviour.’
She admitted: ‘Earlier than the terrible crimes of Couzens have been absolutely uncovered and reported upon – it’s a candid actuality that the chance of police perpetrated Home Abuse and Sexual Offending didn’t have the main target and highlight that it does now.’
The letter additionally praised Lorraine’s ‘constructive legacy’ and ‘persistence and tenacity’ in pursuing the case towards Hunter.
In relation to the letters to Lorraine’s GP and the Merlin report, the Met informed MailOnline: ‘A criticism made referring to the way in which info was handed on was assessed by DPS and concluded no additional motion ought to be taken. The choice was appealed to the IOPC, who discovered the unique choice ought to stand.’
A spokesperson added they have been unable to remark particularly on requests for Lorraine’s medical data as a result of an ongoing investigation by the DPS [Department of Professional Standards].
