Women accuse Met of missing opportunities to charge alleged serial abuser | Rape and sexual assault

The Metropolitan Police may have missed an opportunity to press charges over a series of alleged assaults by the same man, several women have told The Guardian.

The women gave statements to the Met and alleged the force mishandled their claims about Hubert Greliak, who they believe may be a serial attacker.

Greliak was found guilty in January of raping a woman. On Tuesday, he was sentenced to 13 years and six months in prison and an extended license term of four years and six months for the attack.

The woman in this case, Juliana Terlizzi, 34, has waived her right to legal anonymity. She tracked down other women through social media who have made claims against Greliak for 11 years.

After Greliak was arrested in March 2020 for the Terlizzi attack, at least two other women came forward and gave statements to police. One said she was put off after her contact with the Met. Another said police appeared to simply drop her case, with an officer making a remark she found offensive.

They say Greliak could receive a shorter prison sentence than the one the claims were properly investigated and other potential charges were brought before the court. They fear that Greliak will remain a danger to women after his release from prison.

The Met said it handled the matter properly and urged the women to come forward. The force said it was “absolutely dedicated to achieving criminal justice results for victim-survivors”. Police said they received another complaint against Greliak, which was investigated and did not result in charges.

A lawyer for Greliak said he could not comment because his client was in jail awaiting trial and therefore could not be reached.

The Met has come under fire for its handling of crimes against women, particularly rape.

A report last year by London Victims Commissioner Claire Waxman found that nearly two-thirds of rape victims in London (which is covered by the Met) who dropped their complaint, did so in the month following their passage to the police, with the proportion tripling in two years.

At the time Terlizzi was attacked in February 2020, she was in a relationship with Greliak. She said he drugged her and was convicted at Isleworth Crown Court of then raping her and filming the attack. He was also convicted of assault by penetration, theft and refusing to give the access code to his phone. During the attack, when Terlizzi was unconscious, he said, “I’m completely raping you…”

As her case progressed, Terlizzi became convinced her attacker was violating her bail conditions, but said the police didn’t take her seriously: “They said I had an overreaction, that I was overthinking. They said I had to go to the doctor and take medicine.

It turned out that Terlizzi was right, and Greliak ended up having his bail revoked for breaking it.

Terlizzi said he was asked to give detectives access to his phones, computers and social media: “The police treated me like a suspect and made me almost unbearable to support the case. It was almost like they wanted me to give up and drop the case, which took a huge toll on my mental health.

Terlizzi spoke to Greliak’s former girlfriends and partners and found 10 others who she says complained about her behavior, allegations ranging from rape and assault to controlling and abusive behavior.

A woman who claims she was raped during a five-year relationship with Greliak says police mishandled her case.

Kate (assumed name) came forward to support Terlizzi’s case and said she was still having nightmares and had not told her family what had happened. Kate said: ‘I thought he only got worse while he was with me and maybe even some of that was actually my fault, that I allowed him and let him to get worse. I considered it important to report my experience as well, and eventually cut ties with him once and for all.

She added that she didn’t believe that “a person like this” would “stop abusing women of his own volition.”

She said: ‘I found it extremely difficult to come around to report my experience as I have no evidence of what he did to me in the five years we were together. I had no idea what domestic rape was and had serious doubts about what constitutes emotional and even physical abuse…”

She said she filed a report online with the police and was shocked and embarrassed when the police showed up at the temporary accommodation where she was staying. “Overall I felt the police handled the matter tactlessly, mostly I feel like they didn’t realize the shame it would bring to me for them to show up at my Airbnb and therefore had no privacy to discuss my report.”

Rose (not her real name), claimed she was sexually assaulted in a bar in London and gave a statement to the police.

His identity was given to Greliak by the police during an interview – normal police procedure for him to answer – and he denied everything. Rose said she was hurt when an officer said, “At least he knows how you feel.”

Rose said: “My only intention was to report the truth about what happened in order to protect others.”

She said Greliak once told her, “You’re so hot I could rape you.”

Terlizzi said she feared he would only spend a few years in prison and become a permanent threat to women: “As things stand, Greliak has only been prosecuted and convicted for the crimes he he committed against me. I have no doubt that Greliak will reoffend and I worry for my safety and that of the other women when he comes out of prison.

The Met initially said no other women had made allegations of criminal offenses against Greliak. He then revised his statement and said: ‘As part of the wider investigation, officers have approached a number of people regarding Greliak’s behaviour. On May 23, 2020, the [Met] received a sexual assault allegation that allegedly took place in 2012. The allegation was investigated and the case was dismissed.

“We can assure survivors that any allegation will be taken seriously and you will be fully supported. We are committed to combating all forms of violence against women and girls and are absolutely committed to achieving criminal justice results for victim-survivors.