Third former officer arrested in investigation into child sex abuse complaints
A third former South Yorkshire Police (SYP) officer has been arrested this week as part of an Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) investigation into complaints from survivors of child sexual exploitation and abuse in Rotherham.
The former police constable, aged in his fifties, was arrested on Monday (March 31) on suspicion of raping a teenage girl in Rotherham in 2004 and has been released on bail.
It follows the arrests of two former SYP officers late last year on suspicion of sexual offences and misconduct in public office. The offending was reported to have happened while these former officers, who were both based in Rotherham, were both on and off duty and reportedly occurred between 1995 and 2002.
The investigation is being carried out by SYP’s major crime unit under the IOPC’s direction and control after the matter first came to its attention when SYP referred a complaint in October 2024.
This was followed by more complaints from a second woman in November and complaints from two further women in December.
In late January, a fifth complainant was referred to the IOPC and last week it received a referral for a sixth complainant. The arrest this week relates to this latest complaint.
IOPC Director Emily Barry said: “We are now investigating serious complaints by six women of sexual offending by former SYP officers.
“These complaints are being handled sensitively and thoroughly investigated and a third former officer has now been arrested.
“At the end of the investigation we will decide whether a file of evidence will be referred to the Crown Prosecution Service to consider criminal charges.”