Detective Ryan Coleman-Farrow faked police records Published duration 12 September 2012

image caption Coleman-Farrow pleaded guilty to 13 counts of misconduct

A detective constable who specialised in rape cases has pleaded guilty to faking police records.

Ryan Coleman-Farrow, 30, from East Sussex, admitted 13 counts of misconduct in a public office at Southwark Crown Court.

He failed to investigate rape and sexual assault cases and falsified entries on a police computer system.

The 13 counts Coleman-Farrow pleaded guilty to relate to 10 rape cases and three cases of sexual assault.

The offences he should have investigated were committed between January 2007 and September 2010, while he was an officer at Kingston-upon-Thames, south-west London, working for Scotland Yard's specialist Sapphire unit.

Coleman-Farrow, from St Leonards-on-Sea, was dismissed by the Metropolitan Police in April 2011.

CPS records falsified

The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) began an investigation after a sex worker, Jaime Perlman, complained about the way her claims were being handled.

Miss Perlman claimed a client was stalking her in 2009. She later took her own life in a suicide pact with another sex worker.

No findings were made against Coleman-Farrow over Miss Perlman's case, but it began an inquiry into his conduct which eventually led to the charges he admitted.

The court heard he failed to send items for analysis, take witness statements and falsified witness statements.

In one rape case, the defendant claimed the alleged victim had withdrawn support for the proceedings and in another case the result of forensic tests on exhibits was noted as negative when the tests had not been carried out, the court was told.

He also falsified records of Crown Prosecution Service decisions which had never actually been referred to it.

The cases involved 12 complainants and 11 suspects, and in "almost all" the 13 cases no proceedings had resulted, prosecutor Mark Heywood QC said.

Mr Heywood added: "We understand that it will be advanced that his physical condition at the time of the offending is relevant to the court's assessment of his culpability."

The IPCC said Coleman-Farrow had made 32 false or misleading entries, faked suspect accounts on three occasions, falsely claimed to have taken witness statements 15 times and on seven occasions claimed to have submitted files to the CPS when in reality he had not done so.

'Rogue officer'

IPCC deputy chairwoman Deborah Glass said: "Ryan Coleman-Farrow was entrusted to investigate serious sexual offences and support some of the most vulnerable people in the criminal justice system.

"He let them down by his calculated abuse of their trust. His actions are beyond belief."

Coleman-Farrow was "a rogue officer who set out to deceive" and the IPCC said its investigation "did not reveal systemic or serious supervisory failings".

The Met said it had reviewed all the 13 cases and "no additional evidential or judicial opportunities were identified".

Commander Peter Spindler said: "We expect the highest standard of conduct from our officers, particularly within the Sapphire Command with its clear focus on victim care.

"This individual clearly fell well below those standards."

Coleman-Farrow was bailed and is due to be sentenced on 11 October.