Police Called an Alleged Rape Victim and Laughed at Her Case, She Claims

In the UK, four British police officers were dismissed for gross misconduct this week after being caught making fun of an alleged rape victim.

In an outrage to victims of sexual violence everywhere, the officers—Robin Denton, Matthew Neild, Todd Mills, and Deanna Waite—accidentally called the alleged rape victim while reading out loud from her statement in fits of laughter.

During the nine-minute phone call, the Daily Mail reports, the woman claimed to hear officers making comments like “‘if she really don’t want it she would leave” and “if I was getting raped I wouldn’t have stuck his d*** in my mouth half-heartedly.” One officer is believed to have said “he proper stuck it up her arse” while others laughed.

The victim managed to record part of the call, which was used as evidence against the four police officers during a subsequent disciplinary action (all were fired.) Further evidence came from the police officers themselves. In a statement to investigating officers, one officer admitted to discussing “how disgusting it was the male had put his penis in the female’s mouth when it had been in her anus.”

Read more: The Cop Pioneering a New Approach to Reporting and Investigating Sexual Assault

Disturbingly, the case shows how the police—the very people charged to serve and protect rape victims—can reinforce damaging victim-blaming rape myths. “Questions were asked about why the female would go to the house and then get into the male’s bed,” the officer wrote in his statement, demonstrating ignorance of the psychology of victims of sexual violence.

“I feel broken and helpless and all because of the police – the people I hoped would help me find justice,” said the alleged victim. “‘Those nine minutes were torture for me…I could not stop crying and shaking. I will never trust the police and I will never ever forgive.”

“The officers involved showed utter disregard for my client’s privacy and dignity, treating her allegations of rape as a subject for lurid banter and titillation,” Iain Gould, the victim’s solicitor, tells Broadly over email. He welcomes Bedfordshire Police’s decision to dismiss the officers with immediate effect.

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“To have done otherwise would have been to send an awful message,” Gould explains, “namely that making jokes at the expense of rape victims is a legitimate pastime for officers, and that police culture tolerates misogyny.” Reporting a rape requires infinite courage, Gould reiterates, given our woefully low conviction rates. “My client and all others who report such crimes deserve to be treated with quiet professionalism, respect and dignity; not humiliation and contempt.”

In a statement provided to Broadly, Chief Constable Jon Boutcher of Bedfordshire Police apologized on behalf of the police. “As soon as I was made aware of this case I immediately suspended the officers and visited the victim, with Assistant Chief Constable Jackie Sebire. I have apologised to this remarkable and brave young lady and have continued to support her throughout the investigation. I would like to extend my apologies to her again for the anguish and distress this has caused.”

He adds, “Victims should be at the heart of everything we do at Bedfordshire Police and we will not tolerate any attitude which undermines those values or damages the trust and confidence of those affected by crime.”