Action Against Public Authorities Solicitors

The Whole Life Order made against Wayne Couzens was as high of a sentence that could be afforded as the law would allow.

In my role as a criminal defence solicitor of over 20 years, there has been many changes in the law but those changes have not kept pace with the ever increasing powers that the police hold.

For me, what has been telling is the comment made by LJ Fulford when he indicated:
"He has no prior previous convictions and some of his colleagues have spoken supportively of him."

From this statement, it is clear fellow officers have given some form of positive testimonial regarding Wayne Couzens even after he pleaded guilty to kidnap, rape and murder of an innocent young woman. Therein lies the problem, aside from issues of vetting and missed opportunities, there are officers that maintain loyalty and acceptance of each other, no matter the situation.

The other issues of Couzens being nicknamed “the rapist” who allegedly shared racist, misogynistic and homophobic messages in a private WhatsApp group and not to mention allegations of indecent exposure show a wanton disregard of policing by consent. The contract of trust between the public and the police that allow them the authority to have the power bestowed upon them by parliament.

It appears that the police are allowed to practice with impunity and disregard. A few startling statistics revealed by Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour on 07.10.2021, namely that in the past 2 years 125 police officers have been accused of domestic abuse and between 2012 and 2018 600 officers were under investigation for allegations of sexual misconduct. It has further been reported by The Times on 11.10.2021, “two thousand police have been accused of sexual misconduct, including rape, over the past four years. In nearly two thirds of cases officers accused of sexual violence and of abusing their power for personal gratification faced no further action.”

Our family and child care director Alia Lewis, has significant experience in representing women subjected to violence and domestic abuse comments, “the preposterous advice from Scotland Yard to flag down a bus if a woman is stopped by a lone officer and how worrying it is that the Prime Minister supports this advice. There is a serious problem in the system if this is the official advice. The problem needs to be tackled from two angles in my view 1) internally from within the organisation and publicising new rules about how police will patrol/conduct stops but also 2) there should be a serious campaign to alert women to how they can keep themselves safe from any potential attacker, not just a police officer”.

A public Inquiry is often quite controversial as sometimes the people at the heart sometimes feel side-lined. The Grenfell Inquiry, of which I am a part is a case in point. However in my view a Public Inquiry, depending on its terms, would be able to shine a light on the issues regarding the police in a much more forensic way than has been done to date and allow for significant recommendations. However you need the right chairman and very wide terms of reference. If a Public Inquiry is to have any meaningful outcome then it needs to carry the confidence and trust of those victims and the population, who have become disconnected and distrustful of the police.


For more information on –

Public Inquires – please contact author crime director Rubin Italia on 020 3114 1129 or at rubini@duncanlewis.com.

Actions against public authorities – please contact actions against public authorities director Graeme Rothwell on 020 7275 2886 or at graemer@duncanlewis.com.

Family and child care, including domestic abuse – please contact family and child care director Alia Lewis on 020 3114 1193 or at alial@duncanlewis.com