A police force failed to stop a serial rapist even after one of its own officers reported she had been raped by him and accused her of lying, it was revealed today.
Bruno Sala, 39, originally from Portugal, raped and sexually assaulted women between 2019 and 2021 and was jailed for life in November.
Sala, who had been living in Havant, Hampshire, targeted his victims via online dating apps before raping them and encouraging other men to do so too.
But Hampshire Constabulary could have put a stop to his offending as early as January 2020 after police constable Victoria Tomkins – who has waived her right to anonymity – reported she had been raped by him that month.
She reported him to police after an attack by Sala left her hospitalised but says the force failed to investigate properly.
Shockingly, when justifying their decision not to send evidence to the CPS for a charging decision, a letter stated there was a ‘discrepancy’ in her account which suggested ‘you are lying’.
The force added there was insufficient evidence to proceed with the case.
At least three other women were then raped by Sala after Ms Tomkins filed her complaint of rape and coercive control, Channel 4 News reports.
Bruno Sala, 39, originally from Portugal, raped and sexually assaulted women between 2019 and 2021 and was jailed for life in November
Victoria Tomkins had been an officer with Hampshire Constabulary for 16 years when she reported being raped by Sala. The force suggested she had been ‘lying’ and it ended her career
The mother-of-two, who was a police officer of 16 years, told the broadcaster she knew Sala – a care worker and private ambulance driver – was ‘dangerous’ and reported the attack in a bid to get him off the streets.
After meeting him on Tinder in early 2019, she described how he quickly revealed his true colours.
If she refused to have sex with other men, she said Sala would rape and beat her.
‘He always wanted other men involved in the relationship, despite me not wanting that but you comply, because if you don’t, you’re going to get raped and beaten,’ she said.
After Ms Tomkins, Sala struck up a relationship with Joanna, who has also waived her right to anonymity, three months after Ms Tomkins’ report.
She told how she would beg Sala and other men to stop their violent attacks, only for Sala to tell her: ‘Shut up b****, I am the boss’.
A third victim said she once woke up to find another man raping her, but Sala told her: ‘He didn’t rape you – I gave him permission to f*** you.’
Sala was eventually charged with the rape of a fourth woman in April 2022, who he subjected to four hours of sexual torture.
His other three victims only found out about the case after seeing it in news reports.
Following a review of their cases, Sala was convicted of raping Ms Tomkins, Joanna and the third victim.
Sala struck up a relationship with Joanna, who he also raped, three months after Ms Tomkins’ report
Ms Tomkins said she will ‘never forgive’ the police for the way it handled her complaint – Sala went on to rape at least three other women after she reported him
Sala was sentenced in November to life in prison with a minimum term of 20 years for six counts of rape, one count of assault and two counts of encouraging or assisting the commission of an offence.
It is understood an appeal is underway by the CPS of the sentence for being unduly lenient. Sala is also appealing his convictions.
He had already been serving a 28-year prison term for his previous rape conviction.
One of his associates, Edson Domingos, 41, from Southsea, was also jailed for 15 years for two counts of rape plus three years on licence due to dangerousness.
But their victims have told how they still live in fear due to other men they say attacked them in conjunction with Sala still roaming the streets.
Since the case, the officer in charge of the review of Ms Tomkins’ case which suggested she was lying has been barred from policing for sexual misconduct.
Detective Chief Inspector Roger Wood was in charge of the force’s rape unit at the time, but has since been found guilty of gross misconduct in relation to sexual relationships he had with junior employees.
The misconduct hearing heard that Wood ‘exploited’ two junior police staff for sex after he boasted to them about his ‘rank, importance and power’.
And the former Chief Constable of Hampshire Constabulary himself, Scott Chilton, also retired ‘with immediate effect’ last year after allegations emerged that he, too, had been having a sexual relationship with a junior colleague.
Meanwhile Ms Tomkins says her own career has been ended by her decision to report the rape.
DCI Roger Wood (pictured) has been barred from policing after ‘exploiting’ two junior police staff for sex after he boasted to them about his ‘rank, importance and power’ – he was in charge of the review which suggested Ms Tomkins had ‘lied’ about being raped
The former Chief Constable of Hampshire Constabulary himself, Scott Chilton, retired ‘with immediate effect’ last year after allegations emerged that he, too, had been having a sexual relationship with a junior colleague
She had been due to transfer to a non-frontline role, but was later informed she had failed vetting procedures.
Ms Tomkins said she was informed this was due to making the admission during her report that she had taken drugs while under Sala’s control.
Bosses at Hampshire Constabulary allegedly even threatened to serve her with misconduct papers.
Ms Tomkins said: ‘I will never forgive the police. To know these ladies have been damaged sits heavily on my shoulders’.
She added is she could ‘turn back time’ she cannot be sure she would still report Sala, because the experience ‘destroyed me and destroyed my family’.
At the time of Sala’s sentencing, Hampshire Constabulary issued a statement praising the ‘strength and resilience’ of the women.
DC Nick Sandford-Smith from the Operation Amberstone East team described Sala’s offending as ‘abhorrent abuse’ that was ‘truly sickening and some of the most abhorrent behaviour I have ever come across’.
He added: ‘Sala, who is currently already serving a 28-year jail sentence for a previous rape conviction, created situations in which he would meet a woman through a dating app and gain their trust, before revealing his true personality and subjecting them to truly horrific physical and sexual abuse.
‘He viewed these women as his possessions and felt that he could do with them whatever he so pleased, including offering them to other men for sex without their consent.’
In a statement for Hampshire Constabulary, Assistant Chief Constable Paul Bartolomeo said: ‘We recognise that our handling of aspects of this investigation caused additional distress and accept that it fell below the standards expected.
‘We are deeply sorry for the harm experienced by those who suffered through the actions of Bruno Sala. It is a testament to the bravery of these women that Sala is now facing a lengthy prison sentence for the abhorrent abuse that was committed.
‘Significant leadership changes have taken place, and we have made it unequivocally clear to our officers and staff that victim blaming language is not acceptable. Tackling violence against women and girls is a priority for the force and we are committed to identifying and relentlessly pursuing perpetrators.
‘Following Sala’s conviction, we commissioned a review of the initial investigation and our internal response to identify any learning which will include the experiences of the women involved to ensure their voices are heard.
‘We are also examining whether there are any further lines of enquiry which can be pursued and investigated. This includes whether any additional victims can be identified and supported so that we can secure justice for them.
‘It takes great courage for victims to come forward and our approach to investigating these crimes follows national best practice to ensure our rape investigators are victim centred, suspect focused and context led.
‘We encourage anyone who has been affected by sexual assault or rape to contact police on 101, where you can speak to an officer in confidence. We recognise that not everyone feels able or ready to talk to police about what they have experienced so other specialist services are available to help you.’
The force has not referred the case to the IOPC, but is understood to be keeping this decision ‘under review’.
An IOPC spokesperson said: ‘We understand the force is carrying out a review of its handling of this investigation. Should this review identify any conduct matters for individual officers, we would expect the force to consider whether a referral to us is required.’
