Police watchdog will consider any new complaint referred over Gaia rape case

The police watchdog has said it will consider any new complaints referred to it over the probe into Gaia Pope-Sutherland’s alleged rapist after her family claimed officers dismissed evidence against him.

Ms Pope-Sutherland, 19, ran away from home while experiencing a mental health crisis in 2017 after reporting she had been drugged and sexually attacked by a man when she was 16.

She died after suffering hypothermia and was found in undergrowth between Dancing Ledge and Anvil Point along the Dorset coastline 11 days after she went missing.

At the time of her disappearance, she was anxious about the accused rapist’s imminent release from prison where he was serving time for other sexual offences.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) previously assessed Dorset Police’s decision to take no further action over the 19-year-old’s reported assault and found it was “appropriate.”

But five years on, her family have demanded a review of the wider investigation into the accused man, who they say the force was aware of numerous allegations against as far back as 2014.

Marienna Pope-Weidemann, Ms Pope-Sutherland’s cousin, has also called for a “Gaia Principle” whereby officers must check if suspected sex offenders face multiple similar accusations or face disciplinary proceedings.

In response to the renewed appeal, the watchdog said it had not yet received any direct approach from Ms Pope-Sutherland’s family but would look into any new complaints.

An IOPC spokesperson said: “We have had no direct approach from Gaia Pope’s family concerning any wider review. We fully investigated the family’s recorded complaints about the rape investigation, made in 2018.

“Any new complaint referred to us would be considered and assessed as to what further action may be required by the IOPC.”

Police appear to have treated allegations against the accused rapist as instances of “a he-said, she-said, rather than what it was – a he-said, they-said”, Ms Pope-Weidemann told a press conference on Wednesday.

“I think the decision to take no further action on Gaia’s rape case was devastating for her and why she was so concerned about it was because we knew there were other victims,” Ms Pope-Weidemann said.

Ms Pope-Weidemann added: “We asked for an independent review into the wider investigation into (him) and his associates in order to safeguard our community and address any failures… We are calling for a real independent investigation because it is absolutely in the public interest for us all to understand how this could be allowed to happen.

“He was already supposed to be under investigation back in 2014 when he was allegedly grooming Gaia and who knows how many others… We believe that many of these allegations, including Gaia’s, were dealt with in isolation.

“(The alleged rapist) was convicted once again for further child sex offences based on evidence police had been in possession of for years but hadn’t used – we don’t know why.”

Dorset Police has previously apologised for mistakes made in its initial response to Ms Pope-Sutherland’s disappearance, but said that since her death it has taken steps to improve.

It added in a statement on Thursday: “We are absolutely committed to supporting victims of sexual offences and we are continuing to work with colleagues in the Crown Prosecution Service to improve the services offered to those who report rape and other serious sexual offences.”