A serving Royal Marine, who won a historic defamation case against West Yorkshire Police over an alleged attempt to have him dismissed from the armed services, has called for the independent police watchdog to investigate the force.
The 25-year-old serviceman, who is black, accepted substantial damages after the force issued an apology at the High Court in June. It was the first time a police force was found to have committed the highest level of defamation.
A police officer had emailed the marine’s superiors accusing him of “threats and blatant lies” and stating that his behaviour was below the standard expected of a member of the armed forces. It called for an internal investigation in the event police were unable to bring criminal charges.
The email, which contained allegations made by the marine’s former partner, was sent before officers had contacted him or formally interviewed his ex-partner. The pair were involved in a custody dispute at the time.
The marine, who cannot be named for legal reasons, spent more than a year on bail before the case was dropped due to lack of evidence.
He wants the Independent Office for Police Conduct to take up the case and for the individuals involved to be held to account.
He told Sky News: “You can imagine receiving an email like this from your employers that has been sent by a police officer, which was effectively stating that I had committed two very serious criminal offences against my former partner. You can imagine the panic, the real emotional and psychological effect that that would have.”
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He said the force has questions to answer about the wider investigation. “There are many good police officers out there, and I’m sure that they have got a really tough job. However, when you are in the wrong, you should be dealt with appropriately.”
The sending of the email to senior officers in his unit, he said, was of particular concern.
“It has taken a hell of a lot of hard work and determination and, and a certain mindset to be able to get to where I am in my career and this could have been taken away in the blink of an eye simply from a police officer writing that email,” he said.
“I would 100% say that there was a racial element to this as well. I do not believe that if I was the equivalent white person in my position I would have been dealt with in the same way.
“My experience of racism and institutional racism in particular has really been heightened due to what I’ve suffered with the hands of West Yorkshire Police.”
In a statement the force said: “We are aware of the circumstances of the case and have previously been engaged with the complainant. We have no further comment to make on the matter.”
An IOPC spokesperson said: “On receiving and recording a complaint, forces are required to consider whether it meets the mandatory criteria set out in law for a referral to the IOPC. We then carefully assess all referrals to determine whether an investigation may be required and, if so, who should carry this out.”
