Rapist cop didn’t face charges for allegation of assault

A rapist police officer who was promoted after his arrest for allegedly attacking a woman was not reported to prosecutors over the incident, the Mail can reveal.

Campbell Petrie, 50, retired ahead of his conviction for a string of sex crimes and may keep his full pension including a £150,000 lump sum.

He was convicted of nine charges involving physical and sexual abuse of two women between 2006 and 2022.

Petrie kept his job after being arrested in 2009, and retired in 2025 after his second arrest for the offences which led to his conviction. Police Scotland said there had been ‘insufficient evidence’ to progress the 2009 case, which saw a woman claim Petrie put his hands round her throat – a claim he denied.

It has now emerged the Crown Office was ‘not involved’ in the 2009 probe – and no criminal report was received by prosecutors.

Scottish Tory justice spokesman Stephen Kerr said: ‘The fact that allegations against Petrie reportedly never even reached the Crown, yet he went on to commit horrific sexual offences and retire with a taxpayer-funded pension is extremely concerning and demands an explanation.’

Police Scotland said it ‘wouldn’t be unusual’ for no report to be sent to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service if there is an ‘insufficiency of evidence’.

But in the aftermath of the conviction of embezzler Peter Murrell, former SNP chief executive, the Crown Office said it ‘works with police on investigations…and assesses whether further enquiries are necessary before decisions are taken’. Petrie carried out sex crimes over some 16 years and was promoted to sergeant despite the earlier probe.

Top brass and officials at the Scottish Police Authority (SPA), the civilian oversight body for policing, are seeking to seize his pension – but regulations may prevent its confiscation. But Petrie is likely to keep his lump sum pension payment – estimated at £150,000 – which would have been at risk had he still been on the payroll, while the SPA may be limited in how much of his pension it can remove, unless it can be proved his crimes were committed while on duty.

The case sparked fierce criticism of Police Scotland over vetting standards after the earlier case of rapist officer Alan Greer, 47, who took his own life in May.

The Mail has revealed more than 22,000 police officers and civilian staff are to have their vetting records checked amid growing concern over sex predators in the ranks.