A former Metropolitan Police officer has been convicted of 13 counts of rape, including three against a child, as well as kidnap. Cliff Mitchell, 24, was found guilty at Croydon Crown Court on Wednesday after a passerby intervened when a victim fled, shouting that he had threatened her with a knife.
Mitchell had gone to the woman's address in Hackbridge, southwest London, raped her at knifepoint, blindfolded her with his hooded top, taped her mouth, and bound her hands with cable ties before forcing her into his car. She escaped by pretending she needed to vomit. The woman said Mitchell attacked her repeatedly between 2020 and 2023, using his status as a police officer to silence her, claiming no one would believe her.
The child rape occurred between 2014 and 2017, before Mitchell joined the Met. The force admitted a child reported the attacks in 2019 but police took no further action. Mitchell applied to join the Met in 2020, passed vetting, and began training in August 2021, despite the earlier allegation. He served in Hounslow until his arrest in September 2023.
Following the arrest, detectives reinvestigated the earlier case and discovered new lines of inquiry. The Crown Prosecution Service charged Mitchell with both sets of offences. The Met stated that under its reformed vetting approach, Mitchell would not be granted clearance today. Deputy Assistant Commissioner Stuart Cundy praised the victims' courage and acknowledged the case damages public trust.
