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Damning UK report slams police for inadequate vetting of officers
Wed, 2 November 2022 at 2:39 am
Yahoo News
A culture of misogyny and predatory behaviour is "prevalent" in many police forces across England and Wales, and fuelled by lax vetting standards, according to a report published Wednesday after a high-profile murder.
Former Metropolitan Police officer Wayne Couzens was last year jailed for life for the kidnap, rape and murder of 33-year-old London woman Sarah Everard in 2021 in a case that rocked the country.
Police were criticised for failing to take any action after Couzens allegedly exposed himself in 2015. Couzens was also involved in an incident in 2002 that was missed in his vetting.
The interior minister at the time, Priti Patel, ordered the police watchdog to carry out an investigation into misogynistic and predatory behaviour within forces.
His Majesty's Inspector of Constabulary Matt Parr found that "it is too easy for the wrong people to both join and stay in the police" and that there were "significant questions" over the recruitment of "thousands" of officers.
While the majority of police officers and staff meet the required standards of behaviour, the report found "systemic failings, missed opportunities, and a generally inadequate approach to the setting and maintenance of standards in the police service.
"It is too easy for the wrong people to both join and stay in the police. If the police are to rebuild public trust and protect their own female officers and staff vetting must be much more rigorous and sexual misconduct taken more seriously," said Parr.
- 'Unacceptable' -
The London force tweeted in response that it would be "ruthless in ridding the Met of those who corrupt our integrity.
"We are setting clear expectations of behaviour and are developing data and technology to identify those who are not fit to serve," it added.
Inspectors found cases where incidents such as indecent exposure were dismissed as a "one-off" and where applicants with links to "extensive criminality" in their families had been hired.
It was attitudes like this that enabled Pakistani gangs to thrive in their raping and exploitation of young British girls across England.
Met police officers who joked about raping teen in WhatsApp group
with killer cop Wayne Couzens are jailed
Holly Christodoulou
15:49, 2 Nov 2022, Updated: 18:37, 2 Nov 2022
TWO Met Police officers who joked about raping a teen girl and shared racist insults in a group with Wayne Couzens have been jailed.
PC Jonathon Cobban, 35, and Joel Borders, 45, also messaged about sexually assaulting women and raping a colleague.
PC Jonathon Cobban shared racist messages. Credit: Central News
Joel Borders made jokes about domestic violence. Credit: Central
The pair indulged in rape fantasies, shared racist slurs and laughed about shooting people in messages that were "beyond the pale".
They were shared in a sick group chat called Bottle and Stoppers that Couzens was a part of before he raped and murdered Sarah Everard.
The shocking messages were found on the evil cop's phone in March last year after the horrific killing.
Cobban and Borders have now each been jailed for 12 weeks.
But they have been bailed ahead of an appeal against their convictions at the High Court.
They were previously convicted of sending of a grossly offensive, indecent, obscene or menacing message on a public electronic communications network.
The pair claimed they were just swapping "banter" in the messages, which began on June 29, 2019.
A first officer, who was not charged, made jokes about sexually assaulting domestic violence victims.
Borders replies: "Oh John, in that case you're probably f***ed".
Cobban then wrote back: "That's alright. DV victims love it. That's why they're repeat victims more often than not."
Ex-cop Borders replies "No, they just don't listen."
The pair also shared a string of racist messages later that same day when they branded Hounslow, West London, a "f***ing Somalian s**thole".
Cobban adds: "Great, there goes my p***y patrol - more like FGM [female genital mutilation] patrol."
Borders then tells him Feltham is "worse", saying: "I went there the other week and I felt like a spot on a domino."
The court was told the officers, who were all on duty at the time, also joked about raping a 15-year-old girl with mental health issues.
While Borders said of a female Met colleague: "She will use me as an example. Lead me on then get me kicked up when I rape and beat her! Sneaky b***h".
In one vile exchange on April 5 that year, he wrote: "I can’t wait to get on guns so I can shoot some c*** in the face!”
Cobban responded: “Me too. I want to Taser a cat and a dog to see which reacts better. I think the cat will get more p****d off and the dog will s**t. I wanna test this theory. Same with children. Zap zap you little f***ers."
Borders then suggests adding “a couple of downys” – a derogatory term for people with Down’s syndrome – to the list.
Shockingly, while working in the Civil Nuclear Constabulary (CNC), Cobban volunteered to become “race and diversity custodian” for the firearms unit.
While Borders became a close protection officer after leaving the Met Police.
He tried to claim the messages "got out of hand" in his defence, telling the court: "It’s absolutely ridiculous. You’re trying to criminalise innocent police officers … people get offended by everything.”
It's clear from this statement that they really don't think they have done anything wrong and blame those that would hold them to a higher standard. Their 'banter' is what one might expect of a juvenile with low IQ and even lower moral standards.
Commander Jon Savell, who is responsible for the Metropolitan Police's professional standards, said the messages were "repulsive".
He added: “It is staggering that they regard this language as defensible."
Cobban, of Didcot, Oxfordshire, and Borders, of Preston, Lancs, denied five counts each of sending by public communication network an offensive matter.
PC William Neville was cleared of two of the same charges.
Unbelievable cruel and evil story with marijuana at the centre of it.
Mum and dad ‘beat and burned their 10-month-old son to death
on Christmas Day in “savage and brutal” murder’
Tom Hussey, The Sun
20:48, 2 Nov 2022
A WEED smoking mum and dad carried out a "savage and brutal" Christmas Day murder of their baby, a court heard.
Stephen Boden, 29, and Shannon Marsden, 22, "beat and burned" Finley Boden in "repeated acts of severe violence".
Derby Crown Court heard Stephen Boden and Shannon Marsden 'beat and burned' Finley Boden and inflicted 57 breaks and 71 bruises. Credit: PA:Press Association
The parents are accused of inflicting 57 breaks and 71 bruises on the 10-month-old before he collapsed during the 2020 Covid Lockdown.
The tot died just 39 days after he was placed back into his parents' care.
Mary Prior KC, opening the case for the prosecution on Wednesday, said Finley suffered a catalogue of "appalling" injuries - some of which were up to two weeks old.
Only hours after his son's death, Boden was heard telling Marsden at hospital he was going to sell Finley's pushchair "on eBay".
The dad later told police he only said it "in an effort to lighten the mood".
Finley's pelvis was broken in two places, Ms Prior said, possibly from sustained "kicking or stamping" shortly before his fatal collapse.
Jurors at Derby Crown court were shown images of two burns to the youngster's his left hand; one "from a hot, flat surface", the other probably "from a cigarette lighter flame".
The inside of little Finley's mouth was "torn", with Ms Prior suggesting it was cased by forcing a dummy or a bottle in his mouth.
The baby also had a "spiral" break to a thigh which is usually caused from twisting.
And a shin bone break in Finley's tiny legs was "consistent with being held by the ankle and gripped and twisted".
The tot's cause of death was given as multiple episodes of non-accidental blunt force trauma, the court was told.
Jurors were shown photographs of the couple's filthy home in Old Whittington, near Chesterfield, Derbyshire, including blood-stained items and a vomit and faeces-stained cot mattress cover.
Paramedics were called to the address at 2.33am on Christmas Day, finding Marsden "upset and screaming" and the child without a pulse being resuscitated by Boden on the kitchen floor.
Finley was taken to hospital where medics tried to save him but he was tragically declared dead at 3.45am.
'LAUGHING AND JOKING'
At 6.45am, hours after their son's death, they "surprised" officers "when the topic of conversation in the (police) car was what the food was for Christmas Day".
On Boxing Day, the pair were heard at a relative's house "laughing and joking", Ms Prior said.
On December 19 the pair were told to "get him to the doctors" but Finley - who was not registered with GP - was not taken.
Instead, he was allegedly given doses of liquid paracetamol.
Boden later told a relative the pair did not call an ambulance for an hour because he wanted to have a cannabis joint and hide the drugs stash, Ms Prior said.
Visiting Finley's body in a hospital chapel of rest on January 11 2021, Marsden said: "His dad's battered him to death. I didn't protect him."
After they were arrested and bailed with conditions not to see each other, Boden and Marsden were seen by social workers in a park on January 31, the court heard.
The Crown say the pair, who met when Marsden was 17, "remained in a relationship... until they were charged" and repeatedly "lied" to cover up what they did.
Boden, of Romford Way in Barrow Hill, Chesterfield, and Marsden, of no fixed address, deny murder, two counts of child cruelty, and two charges of causing or allowing the death of a child.
The trial continues.
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