A detective who earned £400,000 while facing allegations of pestering sex offence victims has been found dead in a jail cell.
Warren Arter, 54, who was a detective inspector for the Metropolitan Police, was found unresponsive at Wandsworth Prison on Friday.
He had been remanded in custody on Wednesday on charges of misconduct in public office. He is believed to have made sexual advances towards at least four victims between 2006 and 2012 when he was leading a rape investigation team.
He’s also said to have attended swingers’ parties where he took cocaine and offered it to women.
He was suspended seven years ago for abusing his position, but remained on full pay until finally being sacked last year after a misconduct tribunal.
Arter was arrested on his return from a holiday to Jamaica and Las Vegas in December 2016, after police received an anonymous tip off that he was having inappropriate relationships with victims.
His former colleagues found drugs paraphernalia, including scales and metal straws, at his home.
The father was interviewed under caution on suspicion of offering to supply controlled drugs to others and the corrupt or improper use of police powers.
He was due to appear at Woolwich Crown Court next month to answer the charge of misconduct in public office.
Last year’s Met Police misconduct tribunal heard Arter continued to buy drugs after he was suspended and up until 2018. He also sent out text messages offering to supply drugs to others, according to the MailOnline.
Incriminating photos, including one where he’s sitting in front of a mirror with lines of white powder and a card on it, were found by police on his phone and used as evidence at the hearing.
Last year a BBC enquiry into the Scotland Yard handling of Arter’s case found the investigation to be ‘botched’, with mistakes made, the MailOnline reported.
According to the BBC, two former members of the Met’s professional standards unit alleged that ‘forensic best practice’ was not adhered to, and the officer’s phone was wiped by someone remotely after his arrest.
The BBC looked into several cases where police officers were accused of sexually exploiting vulnerable women.
In 2009, several years before Arter was first arrested, the rape investigation team he headed up received an award for having the best detection rate in the Met.
A Ministry of Defence spokesman said: ‘Warren Arter died at HMP Wandsworth on Friday 12th July.
‘As with all deaths in custody, the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman will investigate.’
The Metro has contacted the Met Police for comment.
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