Thames Valley PCC criticised over Witney sex offence comment

Thames Valley Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) Matthew Barber has been criticised for disputing an alleged sex attacker’s gender.

It comes after he said Thames Valley Police was “clearly wrong” for calling the suspect Osareen Omoruyi a "woman".

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Instead, Mr Barber claimed the 51-year-old suspected of sexually abusing a child in Witney was a “male”.

But his remarks have been criticised for “causing division”.

Mayor of Witney Owen Collins (Image: Owen Collins)

Mayor of Witney Owen Collins told the Oxford Mail: “The gender identity of the attacker in this horrific incident is not relevant.

“I’m disappointed that our PCC has chosen to make that the focus of the story.

“Witney is proud of its diverse community and to seek to cause division and inflame a culture war in this way does nothing to make people safer - if anything, quite the opposite.”

Osareen Omoruyi allegedly committed the sexual offences in Witney

The dispute comes after Omoruyi was charged with two counts of sexually assaulting a child in Witney town centre on Wednesday evening (February 7).

In a press release about the incident, Thames Valley Police described the suspect as a “woman”.

The description was criticised by Mr Barber, an elected politician responsible for holding police to account.

Writing on his website on Sunday, the Conservative PCC said: “Thames Valley Police has, mistakenly in my view, relied on the ‘self-described gender’."

He added: “In my view it was clearly wrong to describe the suspect as a woman.

"It is important that the public, and possibly other victims have a clear understanding of the facts.

"It is important that statistics around sexual offending are accurate."

Police and Crime Commissioner Matthew Barber

His comments have been backed by Liam Walker, a Conservative councillor on West Oxfordshire District Council. 

“I think Matt is completely right to make it clear to the public who has been arrested," Mr Walker told the Oxford Mail

"When appealing for information over a serious crime, that is very unusual for this area, it’s crucial the police deal with facts and ensure the public have the right information in order to assist with the appeal.”

Police said Mr Barber’s comments were being “carefully considered and reviewed”.

A spokesperson said Omoruyi had identified as female and was treated as such by police officers.

They claimed police guidelines tell officers to treat people "according to their stated preference".

"The Police and Crime Commissioner Matthew Barber has raised concerns about the press release and his comments are being carefully considered and reviewed by the force," the spokesperson said.

"We thank the PCC for his acknowledgement of the force’s exemplary response in this investigation, including the rapid response to safeguard the victim and the charge and remand of the suspect."