Senior Met cop accused of saying ‘the bulk of rape complaints are regretful sex’

A former Met police commissioner is being investigated by a watchdog over claims he said the ‘bulk’ of rape complaints were merely ‘regretful sex’.

Sir Stephen House served as Acting Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police from 10 April 2022, following the resignation of Dame Cressida Dick.

The accusation was made by Professor Betsy Stanko, a Home Office adviser appointed to conduct Operation Soteria Bluestone – a major review into the way in which police forces respond to rape cases.

Speaking to Channel 4 News, Prof Stanko said: ‘It felt as if he [Sir Stephen] was trying to minimise what the problem was, not taking it seriously.

sir stephen house — Sir Stephen was accused of making the comments to a Home office advisor in January 2022 (Picture: PA)

‘He used terms to describe – or a term to describe – what he thought the bulk of the rape complaints were, which was the term ‘regretful sex’.

Sir Stephen has ‘categorically’ denied all accusations against him and says he welcomes an IOPC investigation into the event.

Operation Soteria was launched in 2021, with the aim of increasing the number of rape cases making it to court.

The operation’s latest report, published in December, found widespread failings in police Rape and Sexual Offence units and found officers ‘displayed a culture of disbelieving victims.’

Professor Stanko’s research concluded that ingrained prejudice in the police was part of the problem, along with a lack of specialised knowledge on the matter and a lack of empathy in victims.

Regarding the term ‘regretful sex’, Stanko added: ‘The only way I understand the term regretful sex – and it was said by officers elsewhere, in the other forces that we visited and researched – it is something about the victim. Again, the victim is mistaken.’

She said the problem was that officers treated the matter as one of confusion on behalf of the victim, rather than focusing on facts or evidence.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson walks with Stephen House, acting commissioner of the Metropolitan Police service, at a police station in south east London, as he undertakes visits to meet police recruits and speak to officers working in one of the 20 Violence Reduction Units. Picture date: Wednesday August 31, 2022. PA Photo. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has entered his last week in office ahead of the election of a new Conservative Party leader, who will also take the post of Prime Minister. See PA story POLITICS Crime. Photo credit should read: Peter Nicholls/PA Wire — The officer was appointed Acting Commissioner of the Met following the resignation of Dame Cressida Dick (Picture: PA)

Mandatory Credit: Photo by Michael Mcgurk/REX/Shutterstock (1881203b) Stephen House Stephen House, newly appointed chief constable of the police service of Scotland, Britain - 25 Sep 2012 — Sir Stephen has denied all allegation against hin and says he welcomes an investigation from the police watchdog (Picture: Shutterstock)

Sir Stephen’s remarks were said to have been made in January 2022, when he was serving as Acting Commissioner of the Met Police after his predecessor, Dame Cressida Dick, resigned following a series of scandals.

In a statement regarding the accusations, Sir Stephen House said: ‘I have dedicated over four decades of public service to protecting the public from predatory offenders.

‘I categorically deny using the phrase “regretful sex”. These are not words I have ever used in relation to rape or sexual assault and the reason I am so certain that I did not say this is because I simply do not believe it; I find the phrase abhorrent.

‘I find this characterisation of me to be deeply upsetting, and colleagues who know me know how untrue it is.’

An IOPC spokesperson confirmed the police watchdog had ‘received a conduct referral yesterday from the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) regarding alleged comments made by a former senior MPS officer in January 2022’.

‘We will now carefully assess the referral to decide what further action may be required from us,’ they added.

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