Collapsed rape trials detective off active duty as Met urgently reviews 30 cases
The Metropolitan Police has removed from active duty the detective in charge of two collapsed rape trials that prompted Scotland Yard to urgently review around 30 sex cases due to go to trial.
Further cases at an earlier stage in the justice process will also be examined, as the force looks at every one of its sex crime investigations where a suspect has been charged.
The trial of Liam Allan, 22, was halted at Croydon Crown Court last week, while on Tuesday another prosecution collapsed against Isaac Itiary, who was facing trial at Inner London Crown Court accused of raping a child.
A spokesman for the Met said: “It has been identified that the same officer was involved in the R v Allan and R v Itiary investigations.
“However, no investigation is carried out by one officer alone and all investigations are supervised by line managers. While the Met’s review is ongoing, as a precaution a decision has been taken at this time to remove the detective from active investigations.”
The force is reviewing with the CPS all cases where someone has been charged and those cases are progressing towards trial.
Around 30 cases already set for trial are being prioritised, but it is not yet known how many other cases will be affected.
The Met announced a major review of its live sex crime investigations after the CPS offered no evidence against Mr Itiary.
He was charged in July this year, but police only disclosed further “relevant material” in response to his defence case statement, submitted on December 15.
A CPS spokesman said: “On December 17 2017, the police provided new material to the CPS, which had previously been requested, and this was reviewed.
“Prosecutors decided that there was no longer a realistic prospect of conviction.”
Commander Richard Smith, who oversees Met rape investigations, said: “I completely understand that this case may raise concerns about our compliance with disclosure legislation given the backdrop of the case of R v Allan last week.
“The Met is completely committed to understanding what went wrong in the case of Mr Allan and is carrying out a joint review with the CPS, the findings of which will be published.”
Justice minister Dominic Raab told BBC Radio 5 Live’s Emma Barnett it was “absolutely right” for the Met to carry out a review, adding: “The basic principle of British justice is at stake.”
Prime Minister Theresa May’s official spokesman said the attorney general last week ordered a review to look at disclosure processes – including codes of practice, guidelines and legislation relating to sexual offences and other types of crime – which is expected to report back in 2018.
Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick told the BBC that the use of evidence in other cases was being looked into to reassure the public.
She said: “We won’t be re-investigating all of those, but we we will be reviewing them to make sure that we have discharged our obligations in relation to disclosure – i.e. that everything that should have happened has indeed happened in relation to disclosure.
“So, we have got a team looking at all of those because the public will want to be reassured that we don’t have anything similar coming through the system.”
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