Met officer 'shut down' case after being accused of abuse

An armed Metropolitan Police officer escaped prosecution for domestic abuse after controlling "every step" of the investigation, a woman has claimed, as the force has been hit by a damning report on misogyny in its ranks. The woman alleges that, as soon as he knew he was under suspicion, the officer used his experience responding to domestic abuse cases to wipe social media, clean up his phone, and dictate her police statement to get the probe "shut down".

- LIZZIE DEARDEN

He remains serving in Britain's largest force more than a year after being arrested by a different force on suspicion of controlling and coercive behaviour towards his partner. The officer was released without charge, and Scotland Yard has not yet decided if he will face disciplinary proceedings.

The man's former partner, Lauren*, spoke to The Independent ahead of the release today of the Casey report, which criticised the force for failing to tackle problems linked to misogyny, homophobia and racism.

Lauren said her ex-boyfriend was a "scary individual" who had started to show "anger and aggression" after they moved in together. She said he would call her a "whore", a "slut" and a "cunt" while criticising her physical appearance and mental health, adding: "He would have these angry outbursts where he would damage the door frames, the puppy gate, flip over the coffee table, throw and smash glasses.

"He punched a hole in the wall next to my head and said I should be grateful that it was the wall he hit, and not me... he would claim that it was my fault, that I made him like this." Lauren said the officer started restricting her contact with family and friends and controlling her finances, and regularly went through her mobile phone messages after gaining her password. Concerned friends later reported him to police out of fear for her safety.

Blindsided by a call from an investigator working for a force outside the Met, Lauren said she "panicked" and told her partner before detectives could come to their home. "He went into survival mode," she said. "He was just demanding that I tell him every step of the investigation, every single thing that the officer [in charge] had said. When he got home from work that night, he deleted all of his social media and wiped both his phone and his iPad."