Police and CPS reviewing hundreds of rape cases after bungling cops failed to disclose key evidence in Liam Allan trial
Police have finally apologised to the 22-year-old student after he was wrongly accused of rape
POLICE and prosecutors are reviewing hundreds of rape cases after admitting a "catalogue of errors" over their failure to disclose key evidence in the Liam Allan trial.
Today the authorities said they had apologised to the 22-year-old student after a failure to disclose vital text messages that could have cleared his name sooner after he was wrongly accused of rape.
Mr Allan, from Penge in South East London, was charged with six counts of rape and six counts of sexual assault but his trial collapsed in December after police were ordered to hand over phone records.
An officer is believed to have dismissed 57,000 text messages as irrelevant and "very personal" as a review found the problems with disclosure were caused by "a combination of error, lack of challenge, and lack of knowledge".
Cops and the CPS have now admitted a string of blunders in relation to his case and have confirmed they are reviewing more than 600 other sex offence cases in London and thousands nationally.
120 officers are assisting with the Met Police review.
Asked whether people may have been wrongly convicted, a prosecutor told Sky News: "We don't know what we don't know.
"If anyone feels they've been wrongly convicted, they should appeal in the proper way."
As part of the review they will ensure all relevant information has been disclosed including key evidence.
Commander Richard Smith, of the Metropolitan Police, and Claire Lindley, chief crown prosecutor for London South, spoke to reporters at Scotland Yard after a review into Mr Allan's case.
Mr Smith said the investigating officer's case load was a factor for the mistakes made.
"Claire and I met with Mr Allan yesterday afternoon where he received a personal apology from us both and I was really pleased to have that opportunity to meet with him face-to-face, allow him to read the report and apologise for the errors that were made," he said.
Ms Lindley added: "This is not about resources. This is about a mistake being made by an officer and a lack of check and challenge by the prosecutor involved."
Mr Allan, a psychology student at the University of Greenwich, was cleared when lawyers were finally passed messages showing the complainant had begged him for sex and discussed violent rape fantasies.
A key text message, sent by the accuser to a female friend on Sept 3, 2015, read: "It wasn't against my will or anything".
Mr Allan faced up to 20 years in jail after being hauled to court on the false testimony of his accuser — despite the cop leading the investigation allegedly telling him the case was weak.
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