Alleged rape that triggered protests in Epsom was a ‘confused report’, police say
Police said it was a “mixed report” of the alleged rape, which triggered a series of protests in Epsom after police failed to release the suspects’ descriptions.
Officers in the Surrey town received reports on April 11 that a woman had been raped by several men who followed her home from a nightclub. The incident sparked protests after detectives said police did not have enough information to release descriptions of the suspects.
Police have now said no sexual crime took place and closed the investigation. In an update on Thursday night, police said it was now clear that a woman had suffered an accidental head injury before giving a “mixed report” and acknowledged that initial police statements had caused “community concern”.
They added that sharing of information was permitted and continued to be supported by specialist officers.
The police investigation was triggered after a woman in her 20s said she was followed and then attacked after leaving Labyrinth Epsom nightclub.
Detectives issued a series of statements asking for witnesses to come forward but later said they did not have enough information to release descriptions of the suspects.
The statement triggered several nights of protests in the town, with four people arrested after police said the demonstrations were “disturbing public order”.
Epsom MP Helen Maguire said the protest had been hijacked by “right-wing online activists” who wanted to “fan the flames of separatism”, the BBC reported.
In a statement, Surrey Police said: “An extensive investigation has been carried out, including a thorough review of CCTV footage of the woman’s movements, house-to-house inquiries, interviews with witnesses and forensic testing. Having examined all the evidence, we can conclude that no sexual offenses have occurred in this incident and we are closing the investigation.”
They added: “It became clear that a woman in her 20s suffered an accidental head injury while out on a night out in Epsom before making a confusing report. “The woman involved has given us permission to share this information with you and continues to be supported by relevant services.
“To be clear, we take every report of sexual offenses seriously and treat such reports with sensitivity. To do this, it is imperative that appropriate time is given for a thorough investigation to be completed and the complainant must be given support to progress investigations at their own pace. This limits the information we can make public.
“During the early stages of this investigation, we appealed for any witnesses or information that could help us further our investigations and identify potential suspects. In our initial appeal, there was a lack of information, particularly in relation to potential persons of interest. This was because the descriptions provided were vague and limited. We accept that this has caused concern among the community. We are now confident that there is no crime and there are no suspects.
“Our local officers will maintain a visible presence in Epsom over the coming days so please speak to them if you have any concerns or questions.”
In August last year, police forces were told to publicly disclose the ethnicity and nationality of suspects after authorities were accused of covering up crimes committed by asylum seekers.
