The Metropolitan Police have apologised to our client “Lorraine” (not her real name) after her seven year battle with the force’s Directorate of Professional Standards for action to be taken after she was groomed by a sexually predatory police officer, former PC Phil Hunter.
Lorraine came into contact with the Metropolitan Police in 2017 as a vulnerable victim of crime. Instead of receiving the help and support she was entitled to expect from the police, she was groomed by sexually predatory police officer former PC Hunter, who sought an inappropriate relationship with her.
Thanks to Lorraine’s determination to see him brought to justice, in August 2024 Hunter was found guilty of gross misconduct in relation to his conduct towards her
However, in the intervening seven-year period the Directorate of Professional Standards not only repeatedly failed to properly investigate Hunter’s conduct but actively attempted to dismiss and discredit Lorraine including by sharing false claims about her mental health with third parties.
The DPS now accept in a letter dated 20 March 2025 that Lorraine’s allegations were not given the weight that they should have been, and that our client had to make numerous attempts over a period of 18 months to report Hunter before an investigation was eventually opened. Even after the DPS had concluded that Hunter had a case to answer for gross misconduct, Lorraine had to fight a further battle to see him brought to a gross misconduct hearing, as the DPS initially refused to bring further misconduct proceedings against Hunter because he had already been found guilty of gross misconduct in relation to another vulnerable victim.
Joanna Khan at Bhatt Murphy, representing Lorraine, said: “Our client now looks to the Metropolitan Police to oversee genuine cultural change so that women and girls are listened to and their legitimate concerns properly acted upon. She is also calling for a full investigation by the IOPC into the conduct of the Chief Constable of Wiltshire, Catherine Roper, who was head of the Met DPS at the relevant time and the first senior officer to whom Lorraine raised concerns about FPC Hunter.”
