Former Metropolitan Police Deputy Commissioner Sir Stephen House will not face disciplinary proceedings following allegations that he had described the bulk of rape complaints as "regretful sex".
Academic Professor Betsy Stanko had accused the senior officer of making the comments during a meeting in January 2022, which he denied and suggested that he had been misheard or there was a misunderstanding.
Watchdog the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said no minutes were kept of the meeting, and that one person in attendance who had kept notes had no record of the comments alleged to have been made.
The professor first made the allegations a year after the meeting during a television interview, and the IOPC said investigators had to rely on the recollections of the people present more than a year later because of the lack of written documentation.
IOPC director Amanda Rowe said: "Both Professor Stanko and Sir Stephen are of impeccable good character and have served long and esteemed careers in the public service for which they have been awarded the highest honours.
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"This meeting involved robust challenges between professionals with differing styles and there may have been an element of a personality clash. Professional discussions on sensitive matters will rarely amount to breaches of the standards of professional behaviour.
"We found evidence that indicated Sir Stephen did use the phrase 'regretful sex', but the recollections of those present do not indicate it was used in the context alleged, and in our view there has been a degree of misunderstanding.
"We also considered Sir Stephen's career history, previous actions and public remarks about combatting violence against women and girls and sexual offences, which supported his assertion that the alleged comments did not reflect his stance on the issue."
Sir Stephen said he “bitterly” regrets allegations against him which he said had “helped undermine” confidence in the Met’s response to rape, as a watchdog found there was no indication he breached behavioural standards.
In a statement issued through his lawyers Kingsley Napley, he said: “Just over 12 months ago I was the subject of very serious allegations relating to my alleged behaviour during a meeting on Operation Soteria. I strenuously denied the allegations from the start of the investigation and throughout the year-long investigation.
“I attended the meeting in January 2022 in order to understand the results of the report in relation to rape and serious sexual offences, which I and the MPS took seriously. I recognised, alongside the MPS, the need for change in the nationwide rape and serious sexual offences detection rates.
“I am pleased that the IOPC recognised that I have demonstrated a clear record, throughout my career of prioritising the policing of rape and serious sexual offences and domestic abuse and that I helped to ensure that the resources were in place to be able to facilitate the MPS in being one of the first police services to proactively engage with Operation Soteria.
“The IOPC have found that I have no case to answer on all of the allegations. Their findings underline my long-standing commitment to combatting violence against women and domestic abuse.
“I bitterly regret that these allegations have helped to undermine public confidence in the commitment of the Metropolitan Police to support the victims of rape and I hope that the findings may help to reassure the public of the strength of that commitment.
“I want to thank my family and the many friends and colleagues who have supported me. I am pleased that my record of dedicated commitment to public service of over 40 years has been upheld. Operation Soteria will continue to have my full support as it continues its vital work.”
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