Case of policeman accused of raping two women collapses

EXCLUSIVE: Anthony Scaramucci's wife Deidre reveals she filed for divorce while nine-months pregnant after her husband took White House job without telling her
Get ready for Winter Storm Quinn! East coast will get up to TWO FEET of snow and rain with 50mph gusts of wind, just days after it was pounded by Nor'easter that left 2million without power
Father, 65, and his youth pastor son, 33, are charged with raping teenagers from their Baptist church congregation
Trump's net worth is down AGAIN says Forbes in its annual rich list as it downgrades him to 766th richest person in the world worth just $3.1 billion
Married Maine couple 'sexually abused and beat a girl with a belt for four years starting when she was nine years old'
Michelle Obama has a dance party with girl, 2, who went viral staring at her portrait as it is revealed the tiny tot now has a publicist (and its the same firm that works with The Smithsonian)
Woman, 51, 'killed her 18-year-old dog by hitting it over the head with a sledgehammer and stabbing it in the neck' because 'she didn't want to see him suffer anymore and couldn't afford euthanasia'
Revealed: The 6 lifestyle changes to make before you hit 40 to keep your heart healthy
EXCLUSIVE: Sexual favors, gym bags stuffed with cash, drunken romps - US Army marketing team is under fire as boss in charge of awarding $4B contract caught on video making out with ad agency exec and another official is accused of taking bribes
New blow for Megyn Kelly as it's announced her Sunday news show will return only periodically
Sex addict who says her struggles began when she was just FIVE reveals how her frequent hook-ups that became 'painful' and 'dangerous' almost drove her to take her own life
Highway Patrol releases controversial dashcam footage that CLEARED a trooper of touching a mother-of-two inappropriately during this traffic stop
High-ranking military official 'warned the Baltimore Ravens over signing quarterback Colin Kaepernick' after his national anthem protests
'All of our players will be standing': Miami Dolphins owner insists his team won't kneel during the national anthem in 2018, but admits that nobody would be 'forced' to stand
EXCLUSIVE: 'Entitled' Bethenny Frankel tried to QUIT RHONY over her feud with Carole Radziwill - and now other fed up castmates have piled on saying they've 'had enough of her'
Married couple going through a divorce are found dead inside a California home after husband 'didn't take the split well'
Arctic permafrost is no longer protected from global warming and may unleash carbon trapped under its ice 'within decades', Nasa claims
Terrified woman 'killed her abusive stepfather, 49, when he DARED her to shoot after she found him lurking in the basement of her home'
Who's a good boy? Researchers find that 'dog-speak' is important for bonding with your pet and it could improve your mutt’s attention span
Fury after Texas Domino's labels customer's pizzas 'lady with Muslim husband' because she asked for a clean cut due to her husband's religion
Second US baby from a uterus transplant is born in Texas: Birth video reveals the emotional moment the new mother delivered a healthy little girl after receiving a womb from a living donor
Mother and her seven-year-old son die in 'freak accident' when a chunk of snow the size of a trailer falls from the roof of their ski condo and buries them
One step closer to an 'exercise pill': Scientists discover a way to burn baby fat without needing to hit the gym
'Fertility is fickle': Jeffrey Dean Morgan's wife Hilarie Burton reveals they've welcomed second child in emotional post revealing the couple's multiple miscarriages

Sergeant Blair Pettigrew was investigated by 30 officers over a two-year period
He was due to face trial at Edinburgh High Court for allegedly raping two women
But message from one of his alleged victims suggested she had made a mistake
All charges against father-of-two aged 35 from Ayrshire have now been dropped

Published: 09:39 EST, 6 March 2018 | Updated: 09:59 EST, 6 March 2018

e-mail

View
comments

Sergeant Blair Pettigrew was investigated by 30 officers for two years who ended up interviewing more than 200 witnesses

An inquiry into a policeman accused of rape and sexual assaults collapsed after an alleged victim said she may have mixed him up with 'someone else'.

Father-of-two Sergeant Blair Pettigrew, 35, was investigated by 30 officers for two years who ended up interviewing more than 200 witnesses.

He was due to face trial at Edinburgh High Court for allegedly raping two women - one while he was in his police uniform - in Glasgow and Ayrshire, but his case was thrown out.

All charges against him were dropped after a message from an alleged victim suggested she had made a mistake.

The 34-year-old woman, who cannot be named, claims to have only told Police Scotland officers what they wanted to hear and reportedly said in an email: 'I told you I didn't know him'.

A source told The Scottish Sun: 'This is a major embarrassment for police. This has been nothing short of a disaster. Heads may very well roll when the full details emerge.'

Sergeant Pettigrew, from Ayrshire, was accused of raping two women and sexually assaulting a third woman. He was also charged for allegedly gathering information on women after accessing the Scottish Intelligence Database.

Charges were dropped when Lord Advocate James Wolffe said there was insufficient evidence

The alleged offences were said to have taken place between 2005 and 2015, but the charges were dropped when Lord Advocate James Wolffe said there was insufficient evidence.

He is believed to have intervened after concerns were raised by Lady Scott at an Edinburgh High Court hearing.

A Police Scotland spokesman told MailOnline: 'We acknowledge the decision by COPFS (Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service). Any reports of crimes committed by police officers or staff are investigated thoroughly.

Lord Advocate Wolffe is believed to have intervened after concerns were raised by Lady Scott (pictured) at a court hearing

'As soon as the circumstances in this case were reported an investigation was conducted and a report was submitted to the Procurator Fiscal.

'Police Scotland is absolutely committed to thoroughly investigating reports of sexual crime and providing the necessary support and advice to victims, irrespective of ‎who the person suspected is or when the incident took place.

'A report will be submitted to the Assistant Chief Constable, Professionalism and Assurance for his consideration.'

A Crown Office spokesman added: 'It is the duty of the Crown to keep cases under review and after full and careful consideration of the facts and circumstances, including the admissible evidence currently available, Crown Counsel instructed there should be no further proceedings at this time.

'Should the evidential position change, the Crown reserve the right to re raise proceedings. The complainers in the case have been advised of the decision.'

Sergeant Pettigew faces an internal police inquiry and is still suspended by the force. He declined to comment when approached by The Scottish Sun.