London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Oct 06, 2025

Met Police: Sir Stephen House to be investigated over alleged rape comments

Met Police: Sir Stephen House to be investigated over alleged rape comments

Former Met Police acting commissioner Sir Stephen House is being investigated by the police watchdog over claims he made inappropriate comments about rape.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said it is investigating comments Sir Stephen "allegedly made to a Home Office adviser in January 2022".

He is said to have described the bulk of rape complaints as "regretful sex".

Sir Stephen, who was deputy commissioner for the Met at the time, denies making the comments.

The IOPC said the accusations were reported earlier this month, adding both Sir Stephen and the Met had been informed of its decision to investigate.

The IOPC's regional director Mel Palmer said: "The allegation that these comments were made by a very senior police officer is of significant public concern, which may impact on public confidence in policing, and so it is important that they are subject to an independent investigation."

The development comes after a Channel 4 News investigation, in which Prof Betsy Stanko, an adviser appointed by the Home Office, claimed Sir Stephen made the comments at a meeting with top officers.

Prof Stanko had been tasked with conducting Operation Soteria, a report on the way the police responds to rape cases.

She said: "It felt as if he was trying to minimise what the problem was, not taking it seriously.

"He used terms to describe - or a term to describe - what he thought the bulk of the rape complaints were, which was the term 'regretful sex'."

Findings from Operation Soteria declared some officers "displayed a culture of disbelieving victims".


'I did not say this'


In a statement following the Channel 4 News story, Sir Stephen said: "I categorically deny using the phrase 'regretful sex'.

"These are not words I have ever used in relation to rape or sexual assault, and the reason I am so certain that I did not say this is because I simply do not believe it. I find the phrase abhorrent.

"I find this characterisation of me to be deeply upsetting, and colleagues who know me know how untrue it is."


'Wholly unacceptable'


The watchdog said Sir Stephen resigned as a police officer and is currently employed by the Met as a civilian employee.

The current Met police deputy commissioner, Dame Lynne Owens, referred the matter to the IOPC and said: "Rape is a horrific offence that has a devastating and lasting impact.

"The comments included in the Operation Soteria Bluestone report are wholly unacceptable.

"We recognise that they risk further undermining the confidence of victims to come forward and that is deeply regrettable."

Sir Stephen has held a number of senior positions, including serving as Police Scotland's first chief constable between 2012 and 2015 and being appointed as Acting Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police in April 2022 after Dame Cressida Dick left the position.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Trump Stands Firm in Shutdown Showdown and Declares War on Drug Cartels — Turning Crisis into Opportunity
Surge of U.S. Billionaires Transforms London’s Peninsula Apartments into Ultra-Luxury Stronghold
Pro Europe and Anti-War Babiš Poised to Return to Power After Czech Parliamentary Vote
Jeff Bezos Calls AI Surge a ‘Good’ Bubble, Urges Focus on Lasting Innovation
Japan’s Ruling Party Chooses Sanae Takaichi, Clearing Path to First Female Prime Minister
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Sentenced to Fifty Months in Prison Following Prostitution Conviction
Taylor Swift’s ‘Showgirl’ Launch Extends Billion-Dollar Empire
Trump Administration Launches “TrumpRx” Plan to Enable Direct Drug Sales at Deep Discounts
Trump Announces Intention to Impose 100 Percent Tariff on Foreign-Made Films
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Singapore and Hong Kong Vie to Dominate Asia’s Rising Gold Trade
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Manhattan Sees Surge in Office-to-Housing Conversions, Highest Since 2008
Switzerland and U.S. Issue Joint Assurance Against Currency Manipulation
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Thomas Jacob Sanford Named as Suspect in Deadly Michigan Church Shooting and Arson
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
New York Man Arrested After On-Air Confession to 2017 Parents’ Murders
U.S. Defense Chief Orders Sudden Summit of Hundreds of Generals and Admirals
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
Trump Claims FBI Planted 274 Agents at Capitol Riot, Citing Unverified Reports
India: Internet Suspended in Bareilly Amid Communal Clashes Between Muslims and Hindus
Supreme Court Extends Freeze on Nearly $5 Billion in U.S. Foreign Aid at Trump’s Request
Archaeologists Recover Statues and Temples from 2,000-Year-Old Sunken City off Alexandria
China Deploys 2,000 Workers to Spain to Build Major EV Battery Factory, Raising European Dependence
Speed Takes Over: How Drive-Through Coffee Chains Are Rewriting U.S. Coffee Culture
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Ringo Starr Champions Enduring Beatles Legacy While Debuting Las Vegas Art Show
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
FBI Removes Agents Who Kneeled at 2020 Protest, Citing Breach of Professional Conduct
Trump Alleges ‘Triple Sabotage’ at United Nations After Escalator and Teleprompter Failures
Shock in France: 5 Years in Prison for Former President Nicolas Sarkozy
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
BNP Paribas Abandons Ban on 'Controversial Weapons' Financing Amid Europe’s Defence Push
Typhoon Ragasa Leaves Trail of Destruction Across East Asia Before Making Landfall in China
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Big Banks Rebuild in Hong Kong as Deal Volume Surges
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Arnault Denounces Proposed Wealth Tax as Threat to French Economy
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Denmark Investigates Drone Incursion, Does Not Rule Out Russian Involvement
Lilly CEO Warns UK Is ‘Worst Country in Europe’ for Drug Prices, Pulls Back Investment
Nigel Farage Emerges as Central Force in British Politics with Reform UK Surge
Disney Reinstates ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ after Six-Day Suspension over Charlie Kirk Comments
U.S. Prosecutors Move to Break Up Google’s Advertising Monopoly
Nvidia Pledges Up to $100 Billion Investment in OpenAI to Power Massive AI Data Center Build-Out
U.S. Signals ‘Large and Forceful’ Support for Argentina Amid Market Turmoil
×