A police and crime commissioner (PCC) has disapproved of his agency for accepting a defendant’s self-identification as a woman.
Thames Valley Police had previously stated that Osareen Omoruyi, a 51-year-old resident of Witney in Oxfordshire, was identified as a female and had been formally accused of committing sexual offences.
PCC Matthew Barber emphasised that Osareen Omoruyi was of the masculine gender and stressed the importance for the police to rely on factual information to uphold public trust.
The force stated that it had behaved following professional protocols.
A statement said: “Osareen Omoruyi identified as a female, and the officers treated them as such under College of Policing Authorised Professional Practice, which outlines that officers should treat the person according to their stated preference.”
The Conservative commissioner, who oversees the force, said: “Thames Valley Police have, mistakenly in my view, relied on the ‘self-described gender’ in publishing a press release that incorrectly states that a woman has been charged with these offences.
“In a free society, we are, and should be, able to live our lives at liberty to describe ourselves however we like – providing it doesn’t affect other people.
“In cases of serious sexual offending when public protection is at stake, the vast majority of people will rightly expect the criminal justice system to deal in facts and nothing more.”
Thames Valley Police previously said Osareen Omoruyi, of Ducklington Lane, had been charged with two counts of sexual assault and two counts of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.
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