Ex-Met boss cleared over rape remark

THE former head of Scotland Yard will not face a disciplinary hearing following claims that he dismissed the bulk of rape complaints as ‘regretful sex’.

Sir Stephen House, who served as acting Met Commissioner in 2022, was accused by Home Office adviser Professor Betsy Stanko of making the comment during a meeting of Operation Soteria, a Government project to improve the police response to rape.

The officer strongly denied her claim, but later accepted he may have used the phrase ‘regretful sex’ in a different context when questioning research findings.

Yesterday the Independent Office for Police Conduct announced he had been cleared of wrongdoing, after concluding it had been a ‘misunderstanding’. Sir Stephen said: ‘The findings underline my longstanding commitment to combating violence against women.’