Met Police ‘predators’ could return to uniform as force loses vetting case brought by ‘rapist’ officer A Metropolitan Police officer accused of rape has won a High Court judicial review against his dismissal leaving efforts to rid the force of 300 others in tatters.
Officers sacked because of unproven allegations of sexual and domestic abuse could return to work and claim back pay because of Sgt Di Maria’s “test case”, including one arrested in the United States for trying groom a 13-year-old girl.
Delivering the ruling on Tuesday, Mrs Justice Lang concluded that the process used in Sgt Di Maria’s case - dubbed “vetting dismissal“ - is not fit for purpose.
Without proving whether the allegations are true, Sir Mark removed vetting clearance due to the seriousness of the claims and has dismissed about 107 officers so far in the wake of a slew of scandals, including Sarah Everard’s murder by PC Wayne Couzens.
But Sgt Di Maria, who denies the allegations against him, brought the legal action - with the backing of the Met Police Federation - saying the process was unlawful.
