A police officer who took his own life in May was a violent rapist who carried out a spate of sexual attacks and attempted murders over at least 14 years, the BBC can reveal.
PC Alan Greer’s first known victim was a woman he raped in her home in Glasgow in 2012 after she had called the police to report being the victim of a crime. The woman reported the attack late last year, sparking one of Police Scotland’s biggest anti-corruption inquiries. Detectives have so far uncovered eight more victims, five of whom were sex workers, attacked while Greer was off duty.
“PC Alan Greer raped nine women over 14 years; five were sex workers; case compared to Wayne Couzens.”
Assistant Chief Constable Lynn Ratcliff, gold commander for the investigation, said the evidence was “truly shocking”. She said: “This officer has clearly abused his power … But this victim was brave enough to come and speak to us, and that really was the trigger point for us starting our investigation.”
Greer, born in Australia in 1978, moved to the UK at six and joined Strathclyde Police in 2009 before its merger with Police Scotland. He had 17 years of apparently unblemished service, working as a response officer in Glasgow then moving to officer safety training in Coatbridge from about 2016. He was 47 when he died, leaving a wife and child. His family and colleagues are understood to have been oblivious to his double life.
A BBC Disclosure investigation found Greer used hundreds of sex workers throughout his career, and more victims are anticipated. A source close to the inquiry told the BBC: “It feels a bit like this could be Police Scotland’s Wayne Couzens moment.” Couzens, a Met officer, was jailed for the rape and murder of Sarah Everard.
Anti-corruption detectives traced Greer after the 2012 victim’s report, identifying that he had repeatedly monitored her police file in the weeks after the attack. His mobile number, obtained by detectives, led to a single piece of intelligence from 2018 linked to the number but with no name attached.
Senior officers insisted there were no opportunities to spot his offending sooner. Victims continue to come forward.