Pc sacked after non-consensual sex allegation

A police constable has been sacked after having non-consensual sex with a drunken woman in a railway station police locker room.

The 43-year-old Scotland Yard police constable preyed on the woman at St Pancras railway station after a night out in central London.

An internal misconduct panel found he had sex with the severely intoxicated woman without her consent and failed to protect her welfare.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) said a file was submitted to prosecutors but they did not bring criminal charges.

Rachel Cerfontyne, of the IPCC, branded the police officer's actions as "nothing short of despicable".

She said: "The actions of this officer will rightly appal the public as they have appalled me.

"His behaviour was in my view predatory and he exploited the vulnerability of a young woman.

"He removed her from the safety of a social function, where she had friends who could have taken care of her, took her to police premises and had sex with her without her consent.

"He then sent her out alone, in the middle of the night, with bus fare to get home.

"His conduct would be contemptible from anyone, from a police officer it is nothing short of despicable."

The investigation began in March 2009 when a woman in her early twenties told police she had been raped after a night out in Russell Square.

CCTV footage showed the officer, who had been drinking in a pub nearby, started talking to the woman before they embraced each other.

In interview the officer said that the woman complained of feeling unwell so he took her into the pub where he got her a glass of water and she was sick.

Despite knowing her friends were at the hotel, the officer took her to St Pancras where he was due to sleep in a police locker room before starting work.

The woman told police she woke up in the room to find the man having sex with her and had little memory of the evening.

British Transport Police (BTP) identified the alleged offender as an off duty constable from the Met's specialist operations wing.

Commander Mark Simmons, of the Met, said: "This officer acted in an intolerable way and it is only right that once such dreadful behaviour was found proven the man was dismissed from the Met.

"We took these misconduct allegations very seriously and those Met staff involved in the misconduct proceedings worked with professionalism and diligence to ensure that all the evidence could be properly considered.

"I hope this reassures the public that allegations against an officer will be taken seriously and should be reported.

"All our officers and staff know integrity is non-negotiable and that the highest standards are expected of us all.

"The vast majority of our officers do act with professionalism and integrity at all times."