A coroner has stated that a computer system error within the Metropolitan Police could have prevented the arrest of a former detective inspector before his wife's unexplained death in Barbados.
Former Detective Inspector Warren Arter, 54, was arrested in the Caribbean after his wife, Rebekah Arter, 47, was found dead in a hotel room on June 28, 2024, during a holiday together. She was found covered in blood. He was later returned to the UK on non-homicide charges and subsequently died in his cell at HMP Wandsworth on July 12, 2024.
An inquest in south London, led by coroner Professor Andrew Harris, found that errors in the Metropolitan Police Service's (MPS) flagging tool, part of a new computer software system called Connect, may have prevented Arter's arrest months prior to his wife's death. The report indicated that Mrs. Arter had experienced domestic abuse, control, and voyeurism from her husband.
Professor Harris wrote that in March 2024, two months before Mrs. Arter's death, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) reported allegations of sexual offenses by Mr. Arter to the MPS. However, due to errors in the use of the Connect flagging tool, these allegations were not brought to the attention of the appropriate police unit for investigation.
It was not until July 3, 2024, that the MPS identified that the IOPC report had not been actioned. "Had this error not occurred, it is likely that Rebekah's husband would have been arrested and remanded," the coroner stated.
Mr. Arter, who was dismissed from the Metropolitan Police in 2023 for drug offenses, had sent an image of his wife appearing heavily intoxicated the day before her death, along with an image of her deceased body, according to the coroner's report.
The cause of Mrs. Arter's death was determined as unascertained, likely involving intoxication. The coroner noted that unlawful killing could not be excluded.
The report suggested there may have been missed opportunities by both the IOPC and the MPS to identify Rebekah as a victim of domestic abuse and coercive control, which could have led to her protection.
Mrs. Arter, a hair stylist and teacher, had reportedly used cocaine recreationally before meeting Mr. Arter in 2006. By the time they married in 2016, Warren Arter had become a regular drug user, exhibited hypersexualized behavior, and increasingly exerted coercive control over Rebekah, the coroner stated.
The coroner also expressed concern that the risk to Rebekah was not apparently considered when Mr. Arter was dismissed from the police for drug offenses in May 2023.
Mr. Arter reportedly took an overdose and was admitted to a hospital in Barbados after his wife's death. His accounts of the circumstances were described as inconsistent and unreliable, and he died in a UK prison shortly thereafter.
Mr. Arter had previously been arrested by the Met in December 2016 for alleged misconduct in public office, related to accusations of abusing his position for sexual purposes. His mobile phone and iPad were seized. The IOPC opened an investigation in April 2017, later expanding it after analysis of his devices revealed evidence of drug possession and supply.
He was arrested by the IOPC in October 2018, and a search of his home found drug paraphernalia. In June 2020, the watchdog determined he had a case to answer for gross misconduct, but the Crown Prosecution Service decided not to bring charges.
A witness alleged that Mr. Arter had sent a video of Mrs. Arter in 2023, purportedly used to shame and enforce control over her. The coroner's report noted that a history of unexplained, repeated bruises and injuries sustained by Mrs. Arter was available in 2024 to anyone inquiring about the risk of domestic abuse.
In response to the coroner's findings, the IOPC stated that prior to Mrs. Arter's death, it was not aware of any allegations of controlling or coercive behavior or other domestic abuse against the former officer. The watchdog asserted that it has robust safeguarding procedures, updated in 2024.
The Met Police highlighted reforms undertaken to strengthen investigations, improve safeguarding, and ensure accountability regarding domestic abuse and sexual offenses since 2016. The force's legacy review, Operation Onyx, examining historic domestic and sexual allegations against 1,636 officers and staff, resulted in 378 individuals leaving the MPS through retirement, resignation, or dismissal.