Female officers subjected to domestic abuse by colleague receive apology from Gwent Police

A police force has apologised to two women after their reports of domestic abuse by a colleague were ignored.

Gwent Police issued a statement on Wednesday saying it is "extremely sorry" for failing to properly investigate the allegations.

The force said they have since "taken the actions needed to get this right in future".

The women, known as Jodie and Sarah, were serving officers when the abuse happened. It left them feeling "worthless and broken" by the "negligence of Gwent Police and its boys' club culture".

Former PC Clarke Joslyn used his seniority to groom the two women into having a relationship with him throughout their training.

Sarah said she "lost everything" after she reported Joslyn. She added, "My reputation, my health, and ultimately my career in the police".

"I entered Gwent Police a bubbly young woman who was excited about her job and her future. When I left just five years later, I was completely broken. I have even lost my confidence in the police as a public service."

Joslyn was eventually reported for his actions of domestic abuse towards the women.

At first, the allegations were not taken seriously and the women were instead targeted by the former officer's colleagues.

Several other young female trainees also said they experienced the same abuse by Joslyn over a period of years.

Jodie explained, "It took all of my strength and courage for me to report these crimes back in 2012. When I wasn’t taken seriously, my confidence and trust were shattered beyond repair. I was left not only feeling worthless but also that my integrity was being questioned.

"My aim all the way through this was to bring a domestic violence perpetrator to justice and prevent anybody else going through what I did. Sadly this was not the case due to the negligence of Gwent Police and its boys’ club culture."

Misconduct proceedings were brought against Joslyn in 2018, however the former officer quit the force before a panel found his actions amounted to gross misconduct.

The two women made a civil claim against Gwent Police as part of a national police super-complaint on police-perpetrated abuse being brought by the Centre for Women’s Justice. The case has led to more than 155 women coming forward who allege to have suffered similar experiences.

Gwent Police Deputy Chief Constable Amanda Blakeman met with the two women in person to issue the apology.

In a statement she said, "I am extremely sorry that at a time when they felt most in need of our support that we let them down.

"We have listened, reflected and taken the actions needed to get this right in future. This is to make sure that if anyone within the force, or a member of the public, raises any concerns about the conduct of officers or staff that they can be confident of being heard and having the issues they raise investigated thoroughly. In the current climate this is critical to maintaining confidence in our services."

She added that all cases involving officers where there is an abuse of a position of trust are reported to the Independent Office of Police Conduct (IOPC) for consideration of whether an independent investigation is required.