A former Met police officer has been jailed for 16 years following a long and complex investigation by Specialist Crime detectives.
Adam Provan, 44 (3.06.79) of Newmarket, Suffolk, was unanimously convicted in June by a jury of six counts of rape of a woman between 2003 and 2005, and two counts of rape of a teenage girl in 2010. The offences were all committed while he was a serving officer at Newham and Barking & Dagenham.
Provan was dismissed from the Met in March 2019. On Tuesday, 22 August he was sentenced at Wood Green Crown Court to 16 years, extended on licence to 24 in recognition of the danger he poses.
We are working to identify if there may be further victims and would encourage anyone with information to come forward.
We are also reviewing Provan’s full history in the Met, and before he joined, to identify any concerns and whether we could have taken action against him sooner.
Assistant Commissioner Louisa Rolfe, said: “I am sure the public will be as shocked and revolted at Provan’s offences as we are here in the Met. He abused his position as a police officer to win the trust of both these women. His actions are utterly deplorable.
“Both women have been enormously strong and courageous in giving evidence to the court – incredibly three times for one of the women – and ensuring Provan is now behind bars. I am so sorry for the pain and suffering he has caused them.
“The court heard that Provan had many women’s names on his phone – detectives are working through this list to understand how they may be linked to Provan and whether there are more offences we are unaware of. We are keen to hear from anyone who can help with any information, no matter how small. Provan is a dangerous offender and we are pursuing all lines of enquiry.
“We are examining Provan’s criminal and conduct history in the Met so we can fully understand whether we could have acted sooner to bring him before the courts, or have stopped him joining the police.
“This work is ongoing but we can already see there were key moments where we let women down and did not do all we could to support them. We have told the Independent Office for Police Conduct we are carrying out a review and advised them that we will make appropriate referrals.
“We heard in evidence that when one victim, a serving Met officer, reported allegations against Provan in 2005 these were not taken seriously. She therefore did not have the confidence to report she had been raped by him.
“We are sincerely sorry this was her experience and that she was let down by a system she trusted and was serving.
“The Met is transforming and I hope I can say with confidence her concerns would not be dismissed today. While we do not underestimate the impact of cases like this on the trust and confidence of women and girls that we are working so hard to earn, we would encourage anyone in a similar situation to report allegations. In the last year we have grown our professional standards teams to ensure we are robust in investigating matters at the earliest opportunity to rid the Met of those who very clearly should not be a part of policing.”
Provan had previously been convicted in November 2018 of the 2010 matters and was jailed for nine years, being dismissed shortly afterwards.
He appealed his convictions which were quashed in February 2022. A retrial began at Wood Green Crown Court for these matters on 2 May, plus six new counts of rape, and concluded with guilty verdicts on Monday, 19 June.
The 2010 matters involved Provan and a 16-year-old girl, who he had met through a friend of the victim. Provan lied and told her he was 22 and used a different surname. The girl was Lauren Taylor, now aged 29 and a mother-of-three. She has waived her anonymity and can be named.
On their first date in late August 2010, Provan took Lauren to some woods where he raped her. He then took her to Central Park in Harold Hill, and orally raped her.
Lauren told a relative she had been raped, and it was subsequently reported to police in May 2016. Police began an investigation and Provan was arrested in June 2016. Following further enquiries, he was charged in September 2017.
Offences against the second victim, also known to Provan and a Met police officer, came to light during the police investigation. The court heard his behaviour towards the woman was violent, abusive and controlling. He raped her six times.
Specialist Crime detectives worked with prosecutors to build a strong case against Provan and he was charged in August 2022 with six counts of rape. The two matters were later joined at court.
Anthony Metzer, KC, leading counsel for the Crown, said: “Adam Provan has shown that he was a significant danger to women whilst serving as a Metropolitan Police officer. He exploited the opportunities he had to access these vulnerable young women and perpetrate horrific rapes upon them, seemingly without fear of repercussions.
“The way Provan chose to defend himself against these allegations shows that he has no insight into these serious offences, and no remorse.
“This case further illustrates the need for vigilance in recruitment, screening and safeguarding processes within our police forces.
“I would like to add how impressive the present police team have been, who have brought Provan finally to justice.”
Provan’s phone was seized as part of the investigation. It contained 751 first names of women with derogatory comments alongside, some suggesting sexual activity with them. Only 50 had phone numbers associated with them. Detectives are working to identify as many women as possible and we would urge anyone who has information to contact us.
Delivering higher standards
The Commissioner has set out his commitment through the New Met for London plan to delivering the high standards that will allow Londoners to once again have trust in their police service. We will rid the Met of those who corrupt our integrity by bringing the same intensive investigative approach to identifying wrongdoing in our own ranks as we do to identifying criminals in the community.
The Met has invested millions of pounds and increased the resources in the Directorate of Professional Standards by a third, bringing in additional officers and staff with specialist skills and experience to identify and investigate criminality and misconduct.
We recognise identifying and bringing to justice those within our workforce who commit abuse against women and girls is vital as part of the ongoing efforts to rebuild trust and increase reporting amongst the public. A dedicated Domestic Abuse and Sexual Offending investigation team has been set up with more than 50 experienced investigators targeting any officer or staff member who may be engaged in domestic abuse or sexual offences, with a focus on victim care.
An Anti-Corruption and Abuse Command is proactively investigating and identifying officers and staff who abuse their positions of trust whether on duty or off duty, in person or online.
We are also increasing awareness across the Met of how line managers can better support officers and staff who raise concerns. A new five day training programme for supervisors has a focus on violence against women and girls, helping them understand the impact of these types of crimes and the steps to take to help victim-survivors.
Anyone with any information about a police officer or member of staff who works for the Met and is corrupt, abusing their position and power, can call the Anti-Corruption and Abuse Hotline, run by the independent charity Crimestoppers, on 0800 085 0000 or complete the online form. Any information relating to Provan can also be provided.
Further information about Adam Provan
Career history:
Provan began his police training in February 2003, joining a response team at Forest Gate in August 2003. He moved to a response team at Barking and Dagenham in May 2005.
Criminal and conduct matters:
Professional standards officers are carrying out a full review of Provan’s history in the Met to identify any missed opportunities and any potential conduct matters that can be taken forward, as well as any learning for the organisation. Our understanding so far is as below:
2003
- An allegation of sexual touching was made against Provan on 27 May 2003 by a 15-year-old girl (Girl 1). Provan was interviewed under caution on 19 September 2003. No further action was taken, following liaison with the CPS.
- On 26 September 2003 concerns were raised by two members of the public about Provan’s suitability to be a police officer, referencing his overly violent and sexualised behaviour whilst growing up. Provan was referred to occupational health professionals.
2005
- On 12 January 2005 a Met officer (Woman 1, a victim in the matters Provan has been sentenced for) spoke to her line manager to allege harassment by Provan. A crime report was created. Woman 1 says she was talked out of pursing the allegation for the sake of her own career. Provan was warned about his behaviour and told not to contact her directly. Woman 1 says she also reported assault and insurance fraud. We will be speaking to her as part of our review to understand this better.
- On 28 June 2005 an allegation was made that Provan had contacted a 16-year-old girl beyond what was required of her as a witness to a crime. There appears to be no professional standards involvement at the time and this matter forms part of our review.
- On 1 October 2005 Provan’s phone number was attributed to nuisance calls being received by a serving female Met officer. This was dealt with informally.
2009
- On 8 May 2009 Woman 1 received an email from Provan asking to meet her. She reported to a manager who told her to ignore the email and consider an injunction. Woman 1 says there were other occasions when Provan made contact with her between 2005 and 2009, again this will form part of our review.
2013
- On 5 July 2013 Provan met a 17-year-old girl (Girl 2) via an allegation of crime. The girl expressed a desire to join the police and Provan took her on a drive around in a marked car. She went on to become a serving officer in the Met and subsequently had a relationship with Provan.
2014
- On 1 January 2014 in another force area, a woman reported a telephone number was pushed through her letterbox. Intelligence checks when Provan was arrested in 2016 showed this number to be his. This forms part of our review.
2016
- On 1 June 2016 Provan was arrested for the rape of Lauren Taylor. He was placed on restricted duties to have no face to face contact with the public.
2017
- On 5 April 2017 Girl 2 alleged she was raped a number of times between 2014 and 2017 during her relationship with Provan.
- On 18 April 2017 Provan was suspended until his dismissal.
- On 27 July 2017 Provan was charged with rape offences against Lauren Taylor, Girl 1 (this matter having been reopened) and Girl 2. Girl 2 withdrew from proceedings in 2018 as she was unhappy with the support she was being given and subsequently resigned from the Met.
- The trials were split and Provan acquitted of the sexual touching of Girl 1. The first trial in relation to Lauren Taylor was a hung jury.
2018
- At a retrial on 29 November 2018, Provan was found guilty of raping Lauren Taylor and jailed for nine years
2019
- In March 2019 Provan was dismissed from the Met and added to the Barred List held by the College of Policing.
- Woman 1 made formal allegations of rape on 27 March 2019. She did not have the confidence to do this sooner because when she reported Provan’s abuse and harassment in 2005 to managers, the allegations were not taken seriously and she was not supported.
2022
- Provan was released from prison on appeal in February 2022.
2023
- On 12 February 2023 a woman (Woman 2) made an allegation that Provan sexually assaulted her when she was 17. The case is currently with the CPS for a charging decision.
- In May 2023, following a third trial Provan was convicted of raping Lauren Taylor and Woman 1 and remanded in custody ahead of sentencing.
Vetting:
Provan was vetted in 2003 upon joining the Met and again in February 2015. On both occasions his vetting was successful but we know the vetting requirements (the types of checks undertaken) were not as robust for either of these clearances as they are now.
We are reviewing Provan’s vetting history against current processes.
It is now the case that if an officer or staff member is arrested or is being investigated for a serious offence, consideration is given to a full review of that individual’s circumstances including the possibility that re-vetting would be required.
This is a change from the approach that was in place in 2016 when such an arrest did not always result in consideration of a vetting review.
Public complaints and other matters:
At various points in Provan’s career, he had a small number of complaints made against him for alleged incivility and unprofessional behaviour. None of these were relevant to the above matters and none were substantiated. In January 2005 Provan received a written warning for leaving the station office unmanned.
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Extracts from the victim impact statements:
Lauren Taylor:
The day I met Adam Provan changed my life forever. No prison sentence will take away the harm Adam Provan has caused me. No amount of justice will make me forget the date from hell, even when I try my best to block it out…. I will never forget how scared I was when this all took place and even thirteen years later, how scary it was to be reliving my worst nightmare over, over and over…
… Finding out that Adam actually was a police officer was sickening. To think that he was meant to be a respectable man, who people could trust to help them when they are in danger, and yet people were actually in danger if they were around him. Until his status was later confirmed, I had believed this was part of a façade he had used to lure me into his trap, I couldn’t believe that he was actually a police officer…
… It took a lot of courage and strength to go to the police and tell them what took place on that day and at that time, it was one of the hardest things I have ever had to do. I could never have thought or even imagined that seven years later I would be on my third retrial, to try and get the justice I previously thought I had, and know I deserve. Out of all three trials this most recent trial has been the most traumatic to say the least.
… What Provan did to me has had a massive effect on my personal life…. no amount of time helps heal what Provan has done.
Woman 1:
The effects of my relationship with Adam Provan and offences committed against me has impacted my entire adult life and my trust in police. I have lived in fear and have been afraid to go out, always worrying whether Adam would be watching me…Since I managed to break free of the relationship with Adam I have lived in constant fear and a honest fear he would kill me.
…I received e-mails from Adam over the first five years after our relationship ended all through our work system. Every one of them I sent to my supervisor for advice, each time I was told the same, don’t respond, I’m sure he will stop…I worried about when the next one would come, unsure if anyone was still speaking to him and giving him information about my life. I felt guarded and unsafe knowing that he was still able to contact me and had the confidence to do it via our work email system after being told numerous occasions to not make contact. I worried how bold he was and that made him seem more dangerous….
This harassment continued and I felt scared, watched by him, he knew my life, he wrote about my life choices…When Adam attended Forest Gate, he walked boldly into a room full of our colleagues, placed a hand on my shoulder suggesting we should talk, I went white as a sheet and started shaking, rushing from the room to find a supervisor. Adam was told not to contact me again. The Metropolitan Police failed to act appropriately, and I trusted my supervisor’s advice as I was young and inexperienced.
…Giving evidence was harrowing. It has been the first time I have spoken about the event and the questions asked at trial have unlocked memories and parts of these incidents that had long been buried….
…I am going to struggle but I am going to be proud of my journey as this experience has been the only way to try and ensure that Adam Provan doesn’t hurt anyone further. I also want to highlight to any perpetrator that at some point they will be known and things will be different. With any manipulative perpetrator it is hard to come forward. I want people to know that they need to find someone to trust and no matter how many years later it is, they can come forward. There will be someone out there who will be the right person even if it’s not the first person you speak to. Managers need to know that any young person coming into an organisation as big as the Met Police are vulnerable for a variety of reasons and the possible power imbalances that may exist between different ranks. Young in-service colleagues need to be better supported.
