Met Police sex offenders unmasked for rapes, paedophilia and assault

Britain’s biggest police force has seen several convictions over rape and sexual assault as review of cases continues

The ongoing scandal of standards in the Metropolitan Police has deepened as the force admits convicted sex offenders are still serving as officers.

The Met launched a review of cases of sexual assault and domestic violence in its ranks after it emerged that David Carrick, one of Britain’s worst serial rapists, was allowed to remain an officer despite the force hearing reports of his crimes.

Almost 700 officers have been re-assessed over relevant allegations and commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said many faced losing their vetting approval in the coming months.

The commissioner, who began the job in September, said he believes there are hundreds of corrupt officers serving in the force who should not be in the job.

Since the Carrick case came to light in January, a steady drip of Met officers, serving and former, have been charged with sex offences, including child sexual abuse. The Independent has listed some of the notable cases:

Wayne Couzens

Couzens faced separate trials for murder and indecent exposure (PA)

Couzens, better known for the rape and murder of Sarah Everard, was last month sentenced to 19 months in jail for three incidents of flashing.

The former officer, 50, was already serving a whole life jail sentence for killing and assaulting Everard, 33, in March 2021.

Following his murder conviction, Couzens, from Deal in Kent, was charged with six counts of indecent exposure – he pleaded guilty to three.

The incidents took place in woodland and at a fast food restaurant in Kent between November 2020 and February 2021.

David Carrick

Carrick was charged for at least 85 offences, 71 of which were sexual (PA Media)

Carrick, 48, was handed 36 consecutive life sentences for a litany of rapes against a dozen women between 2003 and 2020 while he was a serving officer in an elite and armed unit of the Met.

He pleaded guilty to 49 charges, including 24 counts of rape nine counts of sexual assault, five counts of assault by penetration, three counts of coercive and controlling behaviour, three counts of false imprisonment, two counts of attempted rape, one count of attempted sexual assault by penetration, one count of causing a person to engage in sexual activity without consent and one count of indecent assault.

The charges relate to at least 85 separate offences, including at least 71 sexual offences and 48 rapes.

Hussain Chehab

Chehab, a Safer Schools officer, was jailed for five years over a string of child sex offences.

He was sentenced at Wood Green Crown Court on 24 March for four counts of sexual activity with a girl aged 13 to 15 and offences linked to indecent images of children.

The sexual activity offences took place between March and September 2019, before Chehab joined the Metropolitan Police the following year.

They only came to light when the girl’s family reported in July 2021 that their daughter had been in a sexual relationship with Chehab, which it later emerged began when she was 14.

Farhan Ghadiali

Ghadiali was found guilty of sexual assault on 24 March after a trial at Chelmsford Crown Court.

He sexually assaulted a child on Sunday 22 September 2019 at a party held in Buckhurst Hill, Essex, while he was off-duty.

The officer was charged by Essex Police and originally appeared for trial at Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court in May 2022. That ended in a hun jury when no decision could be reached but he was retried and found guilty.

Ireland Murdock

Ireland Murdock is awaiting sentencing for rape conviction (Metropolitan Police)

Former PC Murdock, 26, was found guilty of rape on Monday 3 April, following a trial at Inner London Crown Court.

Murdock, who was attached to the Central North Basic Command Unit before he was dismissed, will be sentenced at the same court on 23 May.

He was dismissed from the Met in July 2022 after he pleaded guilty to unauthorised access to computer material after he looked up the victim’s crime report in the police system.

Liam Boshein

Boshein was sentenced to 42 weeks in jail after admitting to possessing an extreme pornographic image on his phone.

A judge told the constable the offence was “too serious” to avoid a jail term, and the Crown Prosecution Service said the image was “frankly repulsive”.

The 25-year-old, of Waterworks Road, Portsmouth, Hampshire, appeared at Portsmouth Crown Court on Friday after pleading guilty last month to committing the offence between 7 November, 2019 and 4 April, 2021.

Boshein had been a trainee Met officer for three months when he forwarded the image to a colleague on WhatsApp.

Unnamed officer

One Met officer remained in his job after being caught performing a sex act on a train.

The officer escaped dismissal and was instead given a final written warning following the 2018 conviction for outraging public decency.

MPs were told last month that he was having his case reviewed. Concerns have been raised about indecent exposure being a potential gateway to more serious crimes after the case of Couzens, who went on to commit murder after exposing himself at a McDonald’s.

Edward Oniba

Oniba, a PCSO attached to the North West Basic Command Unit, was found guilty of sexually assaulting a female colleague in a police station’s gym.

He was convicted on 13 March of sexual assault by touching.

Ben Smith

Special Constable Sergeant Smith was charged on 16 February with two counts of sexual assault alleged to have taken place against two women in 2017 when the officer was off duty.

Update 26 September 2024: A misconduct hearing found that Mr Smith had not breached the standards of professional behaviour and the case against him was discontinued by the Crown Prosecution Service.