Calls for patience after rape report sparked protests

Surrey Police Federation has urged the public to be patient after public disorder following a reported rape, which detectives said did not take place.

Police officers were pelted with eggs and beer cans during protests after a woman reported being raped near a church in Epsom, with protesters calling for the ethnicity of the alleged perpetrators to be made public.

The investigation was closed on Thursday after police revealed that the woman who made the report on 11 April had suffered a head injury after leaving a nightclub.

Darren Pemble, Surrey Police Federation chairman, said that members had been subjected to "unacceptable" verbal and physical abuse and violence.

In a statement on Monday, Pemble added: "We thank our officers for the way they have conducted themselves during a challenging period and for their professionalism.

"It goes without saying that Surrey Police will take every report of sexual offending seriously and every allegation will be investigated in full.

"Investigations are complex and are not solved within 60 minutes as we see on TV. We need the public to be patient and trust us to uncover the facts."

Surrey Police said that the head injury the woman had sustained had led her to give a confused account of what had taken place.

As a result, the force confirmed that it was "confident" that no offence had taken place.

Helen Maguire, MP for Epsom and Ewell, said that she found the unrest in the town "deeply concerning".

Surrey Police and Crime Commissioner Lisa Townsend defended the way that the police handled the case, adding that it would not have been appropriate for officers to provide a "running commentary" on the investigation until they had completed their investigations.

"Sadly, this situation was exploited by some who used legitimate concerns local residents may have had around the safety of women and girls in our communities to push a far more sinister narrative," she added.

"Instead of exercising some degree of patience and restraint and letting the police do their job to establish the facts, we had numerous social media commentators, politicians and 'experts' lining up to give their theories on a case they had limited knowledge of."

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