A06 former senior Metropolitan Police officer who was due to face a gross misconduct hearing over controversial comments made during the bungled Operation Midland investigation has been spared disciplinary action after new evidence came to light.
Steve Rodhouse, who was Deputy Assistant Commissioner at the time, had been under investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) following allegations he breached police professional standards, including honesty and integrity and discreditable conduct.
The case revolved around remarks Mr Rodhouse made in March 2016 to the media about the honesty of two key witnesses in Operation Midland – a now widely discredited probe into non-recent sexual abuse allegations against prominent public figures. He was also accused of making further comments to former High Court Judge Sir Richard Henriques, who was appointed to review the operation in August 2016.
Two individuals who had been wrongly accused during Operation Midland complained to the police watchdog, triggering a full investigation. That probe concluded in January 2023, with the IOPC determining that Mr Rodhouse had a case to answer and should face a disciplinary hearing.
But in a dramatic turn, the IOPC announced that it has now withdrawn that direction after a “large volume” of previously undisclosed material was finally handed over by the Met.
According to the watchdog, the recently provided evidence showed no sign of inappropriate motivation behind Mr Rodhouse’s media remarks and gave no support to the claim he made similar statements to Sir Richard Henriques.
Instead, the materials demonstrated that the comments were part of a wider strategy involving senior Met officers, who had considered the reputational risks and wanted to avoid discouraging victims of historic abuse from coming forward.
Amanda Rowe, IOPC Director, admitted it was “highly regrettable” that the material – requested three years ago – had only now been provided.
“Police forces have a legal obligation to provide information to the IOPC,” she said. “We apologise to all those affected.”
She added that the IOPC is now working with the Met to understand why the disclosure failure occurred and prevent it happening again.
Although disciplinary proceedings against Mr Rodhouse have been shelved, the IOPC stood by its criticism of the Met’s handling of the Operation Midland fallout, reiterating that its failure to investigate the discredited witnesses – against Sir Richard Henriques’ recommendations – was “unacceptable”.
A separate criminal investigation into a potential offence reported by the IOPC remains ongoing and is being handled by another police force.
Metropolitan Police Service
- Stats since 1st January 2022
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837 Misconduct Hearings
89% held in public
The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS / "the Met") is the territorial police force responsible for law enforcement in Greater London, excluding the square mile of the City of London which is the responsibility of the City of London Police.
