Harefield Gazette

Serial rapist PC sacked by the Met for sexual attacks

Offences committed on houseboat while officer was off-duty

- By Robert Cumber

A SERIAL rapist police officer who carried out a string of sex attacks on a houseboat in Uxbridge has been sacked from the Met.

PC Michael Graham was jailed for 16 years in June after being convicted at the Old Bailey of seven counts of rape and one sexual assault.

The 49-year-old from Hounslow, who has been placed on the sex offenders’ register for life, was dismissed by the Metropolit­an Police Service following a misconduct hearing on Thursday.

Graham carried out the attacks on a houseboat in Uxbridge between December 2013 and September 2014, while he was off-duty.

He was recorded via a sleep app on the victim’s iPhone threatenin­g to kill her and saying “I like hurting you” while carrying out the offences.

Assistant Commission­er Helen King, the Met’s lead for profession­alism, said Graham’s crimes were so serious it was clear only dismissal would suffice.

“The conviction of a police officer is always a serious matter and in this case is very clearly a breach of profession­al standards so serious that dismissal is the only option,” she said.

“At a time when much work has been done to improve the confidence of victims to report sexual offences to the police, the negative impact of an officer being convicted of rape and sexual assault in these circumstan­ces is very obvious. His actions have very clearly brought the police service into disrepute. It is immensely to the victim’s credit that she had the courage and resilience to report these matters and see them through the traumatic process of a trial to achieve the conviction.

“These conviction­s are so serious, as is the impact on the victim and on public confidence more broadly, that there is only one appropriat­e outcome in this case. That is for PC Graham to be dismissed without notice.”

 ??  ?? n SACKED: PC Michael Graham has been dismissed following his conviction
n SACKED: PC Michael Graham has been dismissed following his conviction

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