Police officers could be charged for 'calling alleged domestic violence victim 'f*****g slag' and 'b***h'
The police complaints watchdog has referred their case to the Crown Prosecution Service
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Two police officers could face criminal charges after they were accused of calling an alleged victim of suspected domestic violence a “f*****g slag” and a “b***h” in a voicemail message.
The officers are alleged to have made the comments whilst sitting in their patrol car outside the woman’s address in Sutton Coldfield.
The comments were apparently unintentionally recorded in a voicemail message to Alex Faragher, 20, after the officers called her phone and she did not answer it.
In the message, one officer is heard saying to his colleague: "F*****g b****, I specifically said: 'You are not going to give us the runaround are you?'
"'No, I want to press charges,' she said."
In the voicemail, a man can also be heard saying: "F*****g slag" and: "The only other thing we can do is go back and f****** draft the statement ourselves and just get the b**** to sign it".
The incident was originally revealed in February last year.
West Midlands police investigated the incident internally, but Ms Faragher was not satisfied with the outcome of the investigation and took the case to the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC).
The IPPC has now referred the case to the Crown Prosecution Service, the next step towards any potential prosecution.
A spokesperson for West Midlands Police told The Independent: “The complaint has been thoroughly investigated by the force’s Professional Standards Department and the findings have been shared with the complainant.
“However, some of the findings were subject of an appeal to the IPCC who upheld the appeal and recommended the case be referred to the CPS. The CPS investigation is currently underway. The officers involved remain on restricted duties.”
At the time, Ms Faragher told the Birmingham Mail local newspaper: "If I had spoken about them like that I would have been arrested by now and prosecuted.
“They were due to come to my house to take the statement. I told them I would be out with my dad after 6pm.
“They turned up after 6.30pm and tried to call me and mistakenly didn’t hang up. I picked up the conversation they then had in the police car that was recorded as a voicemail. I could not believe what I was hearing.
"These two people were supposed to be coming out to help me and instead I received abuse."