Rapist police officer Adam Provan had 'fascination bordering on the obsessive' with young women, court hears
Adam Provan used his position to聽gain the trust of young women and had "aspects of a Jekyll and Hyde character", the prosecution says during a sentencing hearing.
Monday 21 August 2023 22:19, UK
A former Metropolitan Police officer who raped a 16-year-old girl and a female colleague had a "fascination" with young women that was "bordering on the obsessive", a court has heard.
On the first day of a two-day sentencing hearing, it was revealed that Adam Provan had 751 female contacts in his mobile.
Prosecutor Anthony Metzer KC said details from the phone "strongly suggested" there was sexual activity with the women, many of whom were young.
Provan, 44, from Newmarket in Suffolk, was found guilty of raping a fellow police officer six times between 2003 and 2005, and twice raping a teenager whom he met on a blind date after lying about his age in 2010.
All the offences were committed while he was a serving officer in the Met's East Area Command Unit.
In 2018, he was jailed for nine years after being convicted of raping the 16-year-old victim following a retrial.
He served three years and three months in prison before successfully appealing against his conviction.
When his case was sent for a third trial, in May, six new counts of rape were added, relating to earlier offences against the serving Metropolitan Police officer.
Mr Metzer said Provan used his position to gain the trust of young women and had "aspects of a Jekyll and Hyde character".
He added that Provan had an "extended history of allegations" of sexual misconduct dating back to the 1990s.
The hundreds of female contacts on his phone indicated a "fascination bordering on the obsessive" with young women, Judge Noel Lucas KC said.
Provan disputes all the allegations, said Julia Smart KC, defending.
Speaking at Wood Green Crown Court from behind a screen, the teenage victim, who is now in her 20s, said: "The day I met Adam Provan changed my life forever.
"No prison sentence will take away the harm Adam Provan has caused me. No amount of justice will make me forget the date from hell.
"Even though I tried my best to block it out I will never forget how scared I was when the assault took place, and 13 years later reliving my worst nightmare."
Being told that Provan really was a police officer, as he had claimed to be, was "sickening", she said.
The other victim, still a serving officer, said she had "lived in constant fear" that Provan would kill her, and felt he saw himself as "untouchable".
She also felt the police had not dealt with Provan and failed to protect her, she told the court.
The sentencing hearing is expected to conclude on Tuesday.