MISCONDUCT PANEL FINDS OFFICER RAPE ALLEGATION PROVEN
A former police inspector with Derbyshire Police has been prohibited from working in the force after a misconduct panel determined he had raped a colleague.Richard Booth faced accusations of engaging in a consensual sexual act with a junior colleague when he was a sergeant, and of committing oral rape against another colleague while serving as an inspector.
He denied these allegations.
Although a criminal investigation into the rape did not proceed due to "evidential difficulties," a gross misconduct hearing in June found the claims to be more likely true than not, based on the "balance of probabilities." The misconduct panel concluded that Booth would have been dismissed had he not retired in August 2025.
The hearing, held at Derbyshire Police headquarters from June 1 to 5, revealed that the incidents took place while he was on duty between 2007 and 2012.
Both complainants were granted lifelong anonymity.