‘Devil’ cop who kidnapped crying woman & raped others including child while abusing power in reign of terror is jailed
A MET cop who tied a woman up, bundled her into his car and threatened to “slit” her throat has been jailed for multiple rapes.
Cliff Mitchell chillingly told the terrified victim: “I don’t care about my life any more, you’ve met the devil”.
The 24-year-old also made a string of threats when she said she was feeling sick in his car.
He said: “If you throw up in the car, I’m gonna slit your belly for every second you throw up.”
When she burst into tears, Mitchell laughed at his victim, branded her a “s**t” and told her no one would believe her if she said anything because he was a police officer.
The woman, whose hands were bound by cable ties, managed to escape and ran through traffic screaming.
Mitchell has now been jailed for life with a minimum of 13 years after being found guilty of 13 counts of rape against two victims – including three against a child aged under 13.
He was also convicted of one count of kidnap and breach of a non-molestation order following a harrowing trial.
After he was convicted, it emerged the cop was previously been subject to a rape investigation in 2017, which had resulted in no further action.
When he was arrested, the case was re-investigated and he was charged with an additional three counts of rape of a child under 13 and three counts of rape relating to a second victim.
His brave victims today branded Mitchell “the devil” as they faced him in court.
One said: “You have shown no remorse for what you did to us.
“You deserve to spend the rest of your life in a cell because you are a serious danger to every woman walking the streets.
“You are the devil.
“You disgust me. I hope you suffer for the rest of your life.”
The court was told the women now suffer from PTSD and struggle in their every day life.
One said: “I’m holding you account for your actions, you took away my self worth.
“You are a pathetic excuse of a man.
“I’m letting myself heal from the trauma.”
Croydon Crown Court heard Mitchell was a serving police officer during the time some of the offences took place.
His evil crimes were exposed in September last year following the “harrowing” events on the busy London road.
A woman, who looked “distraught and scared”, ran between cars screaming: “He held a knife up to me, I’m so scared.”
Jurors were told a female driver spotted the cable ties and let her hide in his car.
Prosecutor Catherine Farrelly told the court: “They were so tight that the surrounding skin had turned very red and they looked as though they were digging in.”
Another passerby, who came over to both women as they waited for the police to arrive, said he heard the victim “crying”.
Police searched Mitchell’s home and found a bag containing cable ties that were similar to those the victim had described as being used around her wrists.
He was immediately dismissed from the Met in December 2023 following an accelerated misconduct hearing.
This related to a breach of a non-molestation order which had been in place since July 20, 2023.
Deputy Assistant Commissioner Stuart Cundy said: “This is a truly shocking case and I am sickened by Mitchell’s abhorrent behaviour and the pain he has caused the victims, who have shown enormous bravery by coming forward and giving evidence in court.
“Mitchell not only carried out a sustained campaign of abuse against both of his victims, but he told one of them she would never be believed due to the fact he was a police officer. This brazen abuse of power makes Mitchell’s actions all the more deplorable.
“I know this is another case which will impact the confidence people have in us. We are doing more than we have done in decades to rid the Met of those who corrupt our integrity, including investing millions of pounds into our professional standards team and bringing in additional officers and staff with specialist skills and experience to investigate criminality and misconduct.
“Part of that is dismissing officers who should not be here at the earliest opportunity. Mitchell was dismissed from the Met in December 2023 – we did not wait for his conviction today.”