A SEXUALLY deviant police officer was allowed to get away with his predatory behaviour for years as colleagues turned a blind eye to his degrading behaviour, often simply dismissing it as ‘Wayne being Wayne’, a report published today (Thursday, August 20) reveals.

Wayne Scott was jailed for 19 years for a series of rapes on two victims, but warning signs were dismissed or ignored because follow officers and staff felt unable or unwilling to tackle or report his spiralling sexually inappropriate behaviour.

An investigation carried out since his conviction has found that his perverse behaviour was subject to complaint from a colleague less than a year after he joined Cleveland Police in August 2002.

Despite a catalogue of ‘red flag’ warnings, senior management and the force’s professional standards team failed to ‘join the dots’ of his predatory behaviour, allowing the highly manipulative offender to continue targeting vulnerable or young victims.

The catalogue of warning signs included Scott receiving love letters from ten year-old girls, talk of a ‘rape game’, misuse of the force computer system to carry out checks on almost 100 women and bragging about having sex in a police station with a vulnerable woman.

One of the findings of the 208-page report highlighted a ‘prevailing culture of indifference towards Scott’s behaviour and an unwillingness to challenge or report his actions'.

It continued: "The tacit acceptance of his offensive behaviour is particularly worrying in the light of his subsequent convictions."