By Emily Caulkett-
A metropolitan Police officer reported to have raped two women will not be prosecuted , despite continuing to serve in the force for four years before resigning. A misconduct hearing heard how former Sergeant Paul Storey breached the force’s standards after his conduct was proven.
However, he escaped prosecution because his conduct did not satisfy the Crown Prosecution’s legal test for proving guilt. The horrifying reality of the case has left his victims without any recourse to legal justice, but Storey will never be able to work in the police force again, or the IOPC.
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An 11-day hearing heard that Storey, who once served as his local police unit’s mental health lead, grabbed one of his victims by the throat, and hit the other over the head with a whisky bottle, before throwing her against a door frame and a chest of drawers.
The Mail Online reported that the two women complained about Storey to Essex Police in November 2017, yet he was never suspended by the Met. Instead, he was moved to office duties until he resigned in September 2021.
The hearing heard that between 2012 and 2014, the former officer, who was attached to the East Area Command Unit before resigning, subjected one woman to controlling or coercive behaviour, including locking her out of a house on a hot day when she was unwell and refusing her water, deliberately isolating her from her friends and family and monitoring her social media accounts.
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In October 2013 he grabbed her by the throat, dragged her down the stairs and threw her onto a table. On an evening in around January or February 2014, he raped her.
Storey assaulted the second woman several times, the first time happening around New Year’s Eve 2014 when he hit her around the head with a whisky bottle. On other occasions he grabbed her by the throat, once throwing her against a door frame, and on a subsequent occasion, against a chest of drawers. In or around late 2015 or early 2016 he raped her.
In June 2017, after an argument, he smashed her framed family photographs.
Storey also subjected this woman to controlling or coercive behaviour, including deliberately limiting her contact with friends and family and controlling her social media accounts. He was given anonymity for the duration of the hearing by the independent legally qualified chair but named after the matters were found proven.
Local area commander Chief Superintendent Stuart Bell, said: “The behaviour of former Sgt Paul Storey is abhorrent. He subjected two women known to him to a number of sexual and physical assaults as well as coercive and controlling behaviour.
He continued: “It is hardly necessary for me to say that his behaviour has fallen very far below what we expect of our police officers. This type of abuse has a lasting and significant impact on victims and we take all allegations extremely seriously.
“We know it is really shocking to hear a police officer is capable of carrying out such behaviour and as part of work to rebuild the trust Londoners have in us, we have created a new dedicated team focused on investigating allegations of sexual misconduct as well as domestic abuse involving our officers and staff. This team improves our ability to identify patterns of concerning behaviour.
“While we’re working really hard on this, it will be of little consolation to the women former Sgt Storey abused and our thoughts are with them.”
Storey will now be added to the Barred List held by the College of Policing. Those appearing on the list cannot be employed by police, local policing bodies (PCCs), the Independent Office for Police Conduct or Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services. The former police sergeant resigned and left the Met in early September 2021.
A spokesperson for the Crown Prosecution Service said: “Allegations of rape and violent assault are incredibly serious and prosecutors look at the evidence very carefully. Following a decision by the CPS that our legal test was not met to charge the suspect with rape or assault, the two complainants each requested a review.
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