A former Metropolitan Police officer accused of hiring sex workers while on duty will face a misconduct hearing in January, as the force continues to grapple with a series of damaging scandals.
Imran Patel, who resigned from the Met last year, is alleged to have accessed adult websites and engaged the services of sex workers while working on May 5, 2022. The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), which investigated the claims, confirmed that he will not face criminal charges.
In addition to the sexual allegations, Patel is accused of fraudulently taking money and a driving licence from a member of the public in 2021. Investigators also found a police-issued stab vest at his home in 2022, which he was not authorised to possess.
The misconduct hearing, scheduled for January 7 to 9, could see Patel found guilty of gross misconduct. The IOPC said it had previously investigated the officer for theft but decided in January 2024 not to refer the case to the Crown Prosecution Service.
The allegations emerged as Baroness Louise Casey’s landmark 2022 review found the Met Police to be institutionally racist, misogynistic, and homophobic. Her 363-page report followed the murder of Sarah Everard by serving officer Wayne Couzens, whose crimes exposed deep cultural failings within the force.
Couzens, who was described by colleagues as “the rapist” because of his disturbing sexual behaviour, was sentenced to a whole-life prison term for Everard’s abduction, rape, and murder.
The Patel case adds to the growing list of misconduct allegations that continue to erode public trust in the Met. Last month, a BBC Panorama investigation uncovered widespread sexist attitudes among officers at Charing Cross station, prompting the force to order accelerated hearings for ten officers.
