Officer admits falsifying rape reports

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LONDON, Sept. 12 (UPI) -- A British police officer pleaded guilty Wednesday to 13 counts of misconduct in failing to investigate rape cases and falsifying evidence, court records said.

Detective Constable Ryan Coleman-Farrow of the London Metropolitan Police, often referred to as "Scotland Yard," admitted in court to failing to investigate alleged rapes, faking police reports, withholding forensic evidence and failing to interview suspects, the London newspaper The Guardian reported Wednesday.

His misconduct focuses attention on the London Police "Sapphire Unit" for rape investigations, regarded as the best in Britain, the newspaper said, adding that Coleman-Farrow's omissions in the past three years left 11 men, suspected of rape and sexual assault, at large, and means the cases will remain unsolved.

His case is among four investigations into the Sapphire Unit by the Independent Police Complaints Commission, which will publish a report in the autumn, the newspaper said.

The commission's deputy chairwoman, Deborah Glass, said the investigation did not reveal systemic or supervisory failings, but referred to Coleman-Farrow when she said, "While dealing with rogue individuals must always be a concern in any system, supervisory systems will not necessarily pick up an officer who has concocted evidence to cover their tracks."

Coleman-Farrow will be sentenced Oct. 11, court documents said.