Sue Akers

Susan Penelope Akers CBE QPM is a retired Deputy Assistant Commissioner of the British Metropolitan Police Service.

She joined the force in 1976 and was promoted by the Metropolitan Police Authority from the rank of Chief Superintendent to Commander in 2004.[1] The posts she held also included Head of Organized Crime & Criminal Networks in the Specialist Crime Directorate.

She led Operation Weeting, a British police investigation into allegations of phone hacking in the News International phone hacking scandal, from January 2011.[2] In July 2011, as the result of documents submitted to Operation Weeting, she took on the leadership of a related investigation, Operation Elveden.[3] She led Operation Tuleta, a 2011–12 investigation into illegal access of private computers.[2] Akers led police inquiries into the potential involvement of intelligence services in relation to detainees held abroad.[2]

Akers retired at the end of 2012.[2]

She was awarded the Queen's Police Medal in 2007 and was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2013 Birthday Honours for services to policing.[4]

She was employed as a private investigator "who sought to guide officers on how to conduct the case" in a case of alleged rape of a schoolgirl by a teacher. The jury in the case which was heard in Isleworth Crown Court in July 2016 took just 26 minutes to arrive at a verdict of Not Guilty. [5] The Daily Telegraph reported that "Miss Akers was said to have had a number of meetings with serving officers about the case and tried to tell officers how to conduct the case. William Clegg QC, defending, also said she had asked to have access to court papers. The officer leading the investigation, Detective Constable Sarah Lloyd, agreed that it was “unique” for a former Deputy Assistant Commissioner to be involved in that way. [6] The Sun reported that "Mr Harris’ lawyer William Clegg QC questioned the role of Ms Akers in court. He said the girl gave a poor first interview to police but the second seemed “almost rehearsed”. Mr Clegg revealed the girl had met Ms Akers twice. He told the jury at Isleworth crown court: “That is why you’ve been told or I’ve asked questions about the former assistant commissioner Sue Akers and Mishcon de Reya. “We wanted to know who they had been talking to before that second interview. “We didn’t get any reliable answers in relation to that.”" [7]

References

  1. ↑ "MPA appoints new Metropolitan Police commanders" (Press release). Metropolitan Police Authority. 4 November 2004. Retrieved 6 July 2011.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Sue Akers: Phone hack police chief to retire". BBC News. 20 May 2012. Retrieved 20 May 2012.
  3. ↑ "Met chief: phone-hacking documents point to 'inappropriate payments'". The Guardian. 6 July 2011. Retrieved 7 July 2011.
  4. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 60534. p. 7. 15 June 2013.
  5. ↑ http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3707498/Geography-teacher-weeps-court-jury-just-26-minutes-clear-repeatedly-raping-pupil-18-000-year-public-school.html
  6. ↑ http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/07/26/geography-teacher-cleared-of-raping-private-school-pupil-whose-f/
  7. ↑ https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/1501651/controversy-over-former-met-police-chiefs-involvement-in-rape-trial-of-teacher-cleared-in-26-minutes/
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