A Metropolitan Police officer granted anonymity at a misconduct hearing despite being a convicted sex offender has finally been named and shamed.
PC Alex Law, 43, was pictured for the first time after his brave victim - who was under the age of 10 - came forward to speak of her two decades of fear and shame.
Law, then 15, twice indecently assaulted the girl who had been out playing in woods near his hometown of Hexham, Northumberland - 20 miles west of Newcastle - in 1996.
Law then secured a job with the Met many years later and hid his dark secret.
But in December 2022, the victim finally decided she had suffered in silence for too long and reported him to Northumbria Police.
Controversially, Law was allowed to remain anonymous at a Scotland Yard misconduct hearing on April 25 – three days after being sentenced to two-and-a-half years’ imprisonment at Newcastle Crown Court.
Known only as Officer A, the force said he had pleaded guilty to two charges of indecently assaulting a female under the age of 14. Law was placed on the sex offenders’ register for life.
In an interview, the victim told The Journal newspaper in Newcastle: “He’s ruined my life. I could have been somebody so different.”
While Law got on with his life as a respected custody officer in London, hers spiralled downwards and she struggled to cope.
She said: “Growing up I felt like I was a weirdo, I felt dirty.
“He made me hate myself. I have made some not great life choices and been in some violent relationships because of him.”
The woman claimed Law sent her a picture of himself in his Met uniform, which encouraged her to come forward and speak up about “monster Alex” to protect other women.
Law, of Cedar Drive in Dartford, Kent and attached to Met Detention, was dismissed without notice by Assistant Commissioner Pippa Mills.
Law apologised and recognised it would be unlikely he would ever have been a police officer if the circumstances were known at the time.
Northumbria Police Detective Constable Phil Trotter, who led the investigation, said on Tuesday: “This conviction was only possible because of the bravery shown by the victim.
“She found the courage to speak out and trusted that our officers would listen and fully investigate what happened.
“I hope her brave actions act as an inspiration to other victims, who may feel it is too late to report historic abuse.
“It is never too late to come forward, and as a Force, we are committed to supporting victims and bringing perpetrators to justice.”
Met Detective Chief Superintendent Andy Cox added: “I am grateful to Northumbria Police for their investigation.
“He is now serving a prison sentence and has rightly been swiftly dismissed from the Met.
“We remain committed to ensuring those who are not fit to police are removed from the organisation.”
