Met officer guilty of raping woman then accessing her victim report in police system

Ireland Murdock, 26, was dismissed from the force and has been barred from policing posts

Ireland Murdock will be sentenced on 23 May (Metropolitan Police)

A Metropolitan Police officer has been found guilty of raping a woman and then accessing her crime report in the police database.

PC Ireland Murdock committed the attack in Lambeth, south London, while off duty on Saturday 25 September 2021, Scotland Yard said.

The woman reported the rape to the police on 9 January 2022 and Murdock was arrested two days later.

Murdock later searched for the victim’s name on a police system and accessed her restricted crime report when he had no policing purpose to do so, the force said.

Following a thorough investigation by the Met’s Central South Public Protection team, Murdock was charged on 31 March 2022.

Murdock was dismissed from the Met in July 2022 after he admitted to having unauthorised access to computer material when he put the victim’s name through the police system.

Chief Superintendent Andy Carter, who is in charge of policing for the Central North Basic Command Unit, said Murdock had “betrayed everything I stand for”.

“I would like to thank the victim for her courage and bravery in coming forward. I would also like to thank those who investigated him for building such a strong case that led to him being found guilty,” Mr Carter said.

“We took immediate action to suspend Murdock from duty when his offending came to light and we dismissed him at the earliest opportunity as soon as he pleaded guilty to unauthorised access to computer material.

“We are determined to have a Met that the public can trust, with officers that people feel confident to approach. When someone fails to meet these standards, we will take action to remove them from our organisation.”

At a hearing on 15 July 2022, it was found that Murdock’s actions breached the Standards of Professional Behaviour and amounted to gross misconduct.

Murdock was banned from serving as a police office and barred from standing on local policing bodies (PCCs), the Independent Office for Police Conduct or Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services.

He will be sentenced at the London Inner Crown court on 23 May.