Britain’s top black female police officer has been appointed to lead Scotland Yard’s probe into sex attack claims at some of the UK’s leading schools.
Commander Dr Alison Heydari has been tasked with co-ordinating the force’s response to an onslaught of allegations against pupils at the prestigious secondaries.
The senior officer, who has more than 20 years of policing experience, will assess complaints made to police – which so far relate to pupils from at least two schools – before deciding whether to launch a criminal investigation.
Britain’s top black female police officer has been appointed to lead Scotland Yard’s probe into sex attack claims at some of the UK’s leading schools
In an indication of how seriously the matter is being taken at Scotland Yard, last night Dr Heydari met senior officers for a Gold Group meeting to determine the force’s response to the complaints.
It came as the London Oratory became the second top school to report an alleged sex crime to the police.
The prestigious state secondary, which counts Euan and Nicky Blair as former pupils, followed Dulwich College in south-east London.
Meanwhile, Highgate School in north London has brought in Dame Anne Rafferty, a recently retired Court of Appeal judge, to investigate alleged ‘rape culture’ after a pupil walkout earlier this week.
The new Children’s Commissioner, Dame Rachel de Souza, backed heads taking a tough approach.
She told the BBC’s Newsnight: ‘All schools have these guidelines, and they should follow them and escalate any issues to social care and to the police that are concerning.’
Many of the country’s most prestigious schools have been plunged into crisis after being named and shamed in an online dossier of pupil-on-pupil abuse on website Everyone’s Invited.
Hundreds of institutions have been accused of complacency in the face of harassment, sexual assault and even rape.
Despite the difficulties in responding to anonymous complaints, the Independent Schools Council said its members are reporting incidents to the police where appropriate.
Chief executive Julie Robinson said schools were committed to ‘taking this issue very seriously’.
A London Oratory School spokesman said: ‘It is completely unacceptable that anyone should be subject to sexual assault or harassment of any kind and we do not, and will not, tolerate it.’
It came after Dulwich College, which charges £44,346 a year for boarders and counts Nigel Farage, Ernest Shackleton and PG Wodehouse among its alumni, reported two alleged sexual offences to the police and disciplined other pupils guilty of more minor infractions.
Dr Heydari is seen as one of the Metropolitan Police’s rising stars, leading on neighbourhood policing and community engagement.
The married mother of two daughters has carried out doctoral research on domestic abuse.
She has said: ‘Getting justice for victims of crime and helping them find a voice… is always extremely rewarding.
‘This has made a huge difference to individuals and communities and has helped to restore trust and confidence in policing.’
It came after Dulwich College, which charges £44,346 a year for boarders and counts Nigel Farage, Ernest Shackleton and PG Wodehouse among its alumni, reported two alleged sexual offences to the police and disciplined other pupils guilty of more minor infractions
Pupils at a leading girls’ school protested yesterday against the alleged ‘rape culture’ of their neighbouring boys’ Dulwich College. Placards saying ‘Educate your sons’ and ‘My dress does not mean yes’ were pinned to the James Allen’s Girls’ School (JAGS) gates by pupils wearing red – a colour that has become synonymous with the campaign
Picture of the protest signs attached to James Allen’s School Fence yesterday
Education Secretary Gavin Williamson commented: ‘Schools should be places where all children feel safe and are protected from harm, and the allegations of sexual abuse that we have seen over recent days are abhorrent.
‘Where schools do not meet the strict safeguarding standards that we have in place, we will always take action.’
Yesterday, the Everyone’s Invited project decided to stop publishing the names of schools for fear of them receiving a ‘disproportionate’ amount of blame, Schools Week reported.
The publication said its analysis found that only 50 state schools were facing complaints on the website, compared to around 400 private schools.
Met detectives have been trawling the accounts posted on Everyone’s Invited to identify crime victims since they became aware of the website on March 12.
Scotland Yard’s lead for rape and sexual offences, Detective Superintendent Mel Laremore, said: ‘We take all allegations of sexual assault very seriously.
‘We understand the complex and varied reasons why many victim/survivors do not contact law enforcement, but I want to personally reassure anyone who needs our help that we are absolutely here for you.’
Meanwhile, Highgate School in north London has brought in Dame Anne Rafferty, a recently retired Court of Appeal judge, to investigate alleged ‘rape culture’ after a pupil walkout earlier this week
