Ex-Met inspector due in court over rape charges

A former Metropolitan Police inspector charged with five counts of rape is accused of wrapping a woman's face in clingfilm during "violent" bondage sex, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has said.

Former Inspector John Doyle, 53, who was previously attached to the Met's Specialist Firearms Command, was charged on 4 February.

In addition to the rape charges, he faces other charges for offences including coercive and controlling behaviour, actual bodily harm and grievous bodily harm with intent. They are all alleged to have taken place between 2012 and 2024 and relate to one victim.

Doyle, who is from Liverpool, is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Wednesday.

He was initially arrested on 24 June 2024 and immediately suspended from duty.

The Metropolitan Police said Doyle was dismissed from the force on 10 December 2024 following a hearing held in private due to the ongoing criminal proceedings.

Doyle has also been charged with one count of assault by penetration, two counts of coercive and controlling behaviour and two counts of actual bodily harm, four counts of grievous bodily harm with intent, two counts of misconduct in public office and one count of possession of extreme pornography.

In the claims of controlling and coercive behaviour, Doyle is accused of "serious acts of violence" during the course of BDSM sex, including allegedly kicking the woman and wrapping her face with clingfilm to restrict her breathing, as outlined in the charges.

According to the charges, the former officer faces two allegations of misconduct in public office over alleged sexual activity on police premises, and in one of the allegations he is further accused of "gaining access to a firearm".

Catherine Baccas, deputy chief crown prosecutor of CPS London South, said: "The Crown Prosecution Service has decided to charge John Doyle with controlling or coercive behaviour, several counts of rape, assault by penetration and misconduct in public office.

"This follows allegations made by a woman relating to a period of alleged abuse spanning 12 years.

"Our prosecutors have worked to establish that there is sufficient evidence to bring this case to court and that it is in the public interest to do so."

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