Court told of officer’s bullying regime

Jul 4 2008 by Sam Wonfor, The Journal

A SENIOR Northumbria Police officer accused of indecent assault ruled with a regime of bullying and intimidation, a court heard.

Sergeant David Roythorne was an aggressive bad-tempered man ill-suited to a position of authority over others, prosecutor Christopher Stables QC told Newcastle Crown Court.

“It is the prosecution case that the defendant by his conduct and his behaviour created a climate of fear and intimidation,” said Mr Stables. “He was, in short, a bully,”

Mr Stables said Roythorne gave the impression he was “bullet-proof – untouchable” with friends in high places.

And he alleged he sometimes used the expression “RHIP” – short for “rank has its privileges” – while tapping three fingers across his bicep to indicate the three sergeant stripes.

He claimed Roythorne was aggressive towards both police officers and civilian staff, frequently lost his temper, shouted and screamed, criticised but never gave praise and used foul language “as a matter of course”.

“He never, say the prosecution, lost an opportunity to remind them he had control over their careers and influence over their progress,” Mr Stables told jurors.

“He ruled, we say, by fear, by intimidation and by harassment and you will hear evidence from witnesses what it was like to work in these conditions on a day-to-day basis.”

Mr Stables alleged Roythorne particularly disliked female officers referring to them as “vipers” and reducing them to tears.

He claimed against the background of bullying, Roythorne had also acted in a sexually inappropriate way, indecently assaulting four men and a woman, attacks which included groping and acts of simulated sex.

“We understand that the defence will assert that much of the way the defendant behaved was just part of a locker room culture that existed,” Mr Stables said.

“The prosecution say that is quite simply an attempt to create a false impression of the situation, an attempt to gloss over a much more serious state of affairs.

“There is a point at which a line is crossed and that conduct becomes abusive, harassing and criminal.

“This case concerns a whole series of incidents against the background I have indicated.

“The defendant crossed that line and went too far.”

Roythorne, 52, of West Moor, Newcastle denies nine offences of indecent assault, three of sexual assault and a further count of assault occasioning actual bodily harm relating to psychological harm he is alleged to have caused to one alleged victim.

The charges – which span a five-year period – follow an investigation initially by the professional standards department within the force and later handed over to the Independent Police Complaints Commission.

The trial which is expected to run for four weeks, continues today.