Wayne Scott report a Cleveland Police 'whitewash'

A report into a police officer jailed for multiple rapes has been branded a "whitewash" by the former chairman of the Cleveland Police Federation.

Wayne Scott was jailed for 19 years in 2013 for a series of rapes and other sex offences over a 10-year period.

Steve Matthews said the investigation into Scott and the subsequent report had been "marred by incompetence".

Cleveland Police "strongly refute" the claims and said the force had "nothing to hide".

A report concluded, external some offending by the ex-police constable could have been avoided if colleagues had tackled his "red flag" behaviour.

Conducted by the Cleveland force under the supervision of the Independent Police Complaints Commission, it highlighted how Scott, who joined the force in 2002, preyed on vulnerable female offenders and demanded sex from them on several occasions.

Mr Matthews, who served at Cleveland Police for 27 years, said the case was another "prime example of incompetence" by the force.

He said: "I was dealing with Wayne Scott during major parts of the investigation and things were missed.

"I raised my concerns during the investigation and I raised my concerns again with the report into it.

"I consider it to be a whitewash just to protect the reputation of certain individuals in Cleveland Police and Cleveland Police itself."

Mr Matthews added: "People were let down by Cleveland Police and I'm appalled that even now they still haven't got the courage to say they got it so wrong.

"They should have stopped Wayne Scott many, many years before they finally brought him to justice."

In a statement responding to Mr Matthews' claims, Cleveland Police said: "We strongly refute the assertion that the report is a whitewash.

"We were under no obligation to publish the report or the findings into it, but released it to the public domain as part of our commitment to transparency.

"We have nothing to hide and the report stands up to scrutiny. This was an IPCC-supervised investigation and the IPCC approved the terms of reference and is satisfied they have been fulfilled."

The report made 15 recommendations, including better monitoring of officers who have regular contact with vulnerable women, particularly sex workers and victims of domestic violence.