Former Police Officer Sentenced to 16 Years for Serial Rapes, Including Assault on Fellow Officer
Adam Provan, a former Metropolitan Police officer, has been sentenced to 16 years in prison for a series of rapes that occurred over the span of eight years. Provan, whose predatory behavior dated back to the 1990s, went unchecked until one of his victims bravely came forward.
Wood Green Crown Court heard that between 2003 and 2005, Provan repeatedly raped a female police officer and terrorized her to the point where she feared for her life. Shockingly, it was revealed that Provan had an obsession with young women, had viewed teenage pornography, and had collected over 700 female contacts on his mobile phone.
In 2005, another female officer lodged a complaint against Provan for sending her nuisance messages. However, the issue was dealt with informally, and no action was taken. Furthermore, Provan allegedly contacted a 16-year-old girl after she had provided her details as a witness in 2003.
Although two other women had made allegations against Provan, a rape case was not pursued, and a sexual assault case ended in acquittal.
It was not until 2016 when Lauren Taylor bravely came forward to reveal that Provan had raped her on a blind date when she was only 16 years old in 2010. Taylor had agreed to go to the cinema with Provan after he lied about his age, claiming to be 22, and that he was a police officer. However, instead, he took her to the woods where he forced himself upon her, despite her repeated pleas for him to stop.
In an interview with the PA news agency, Taylor shared her traumatic experience, saying, Basically he raped me. I remember holding on to the tree. I was kind of hugging the tree like emotional support, pretending I was anywhere else in the world but back there. I remember it can’t have been long, but it felt like a long time.
Provan then took Taylor to a McDonald’s for a milkshake, acting as if nothing had happened, before forcing her to engage in a sexual act in a children’s playground. Taylor desperately hoped that someone would see what was happening and come to her aid.
All of Provan’s offenses were committed while he was a serving officer in the Metropolitan Police’s East Area Command Unit. He initially faced trial for double rape, which resulted in a hung jury. However, he was eventually convicted in 2018 and sentenced to nine years in prison. In the following year, he was dismissed from the Metropolitan Police.
After serving three years and three months in prison, Provan was released on bail following a retrial ordered by the Court of Appeal. At the fresh trial, Taylor testified for the third time, and six additional charges of rape, relating to Provan’s earlier attacks on the female police officer, were added.
In June, Provan, currently 44 years old and residing in Newmarket, Suffolk, was found guilty of a total of eight rapes against the two women.
During the trial, Ms. Taylor expressed her disappointment at the lack of remorse shown by Provan and criticized the Metropolitan Police for failing to protect her. She also offered advice to others who have experienced similar traumatic events, encouraging them to speak up and seek support.
Provan has now been sentenced to 16 years in prison, with a further eight years on an extended license. The court acknowledged the abysmal treatment the second victim received from the Metropolitan Police and expressed hope that such negligence would never happen again.
The case highlights the disturbing abuse of power by a former police officer and the importance of holding those responsible accountable for their actions. It serves as a reminder that no one is above the law and that victims must be supported and believed when they come forward.
