A former Metropolitan Police officer who carried out a “campaign of rape” against his victims has seen his prison sentence extended at the Court of Appeal. Cliff Mitchell carried out over 50 sexual assaults against two female victims from 2014 until 2023. His hideous acts included an instance in September last year where he used cable ties to restrain a woman and put duct tape over her mouth.
The 24-year-old was initially sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 13 years and 225 days by Croydon Crown Court back in May. However, on Thursday, the justices at the Court of Appeal revised his sentence to a minimum of 17 years and 225 days, in response to a referral made by the Solicitor General.
Mitchell’s appeal to shorten his sentence, citing his previous good character, was rejected outright. Representing the Solicitor General, Paul Jarvis declared that the former sentence was “unduly lenient” considering it didn’t fully appreciate the severity of Mitchell’s offences.
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According to Mr Jarvis, given Mitchell’s “campaign of rape”, his original jail term was notably lower than it should have been. In February, following a trial at the Croydon Crown Court, Mitchell was found guilty on charges including 10 counts of rape, three counts of rape of a child under 13, one count of kidnap, and breach of a non-molestation order. Mr Jarvis said that Mitchell sought to “control and dominate” his victims, whose identities have been withheld for legal reasons.
The court heard how Mitchell’s crimes came to a halt in September last year when his older victim managed to escape from a car she was being kidnapped in. She sprinted down a busy road, her hands still bound with cable ties, until a passerby came to her aid. Mitchell was subsequently apprehended and denied the allegations against him.
Following this arrest, a 2017 rape investigation involving the younger victim was reopened. The initial investigation had resulted in no further action but was revisited and led to Mitchell facing charges of three counts of rape of a child under 13 and three counts of rape.
John Benson KC, defending Mitchell, stated that his client had “suffered significant depression” during the period when the rapes occurred. “He was prescribed antidepressants and given time off by the police,” Mr Benson added. “He was under a great deal of stress at the time.”
Enhancing the sentence, Lord Justice William Davis, alongside Mrs Justice Thornton and Judge Michael Chambers KC, noted that Mitchell’s younger victim is “broken” due to the assaults. In a victim impact statement, she expressed: “It sits with me every day. There are days when I cry randomly about it.”
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