A BDSM “obsessed” former Metropolitan Police officer who used duct tape to restrain his flatmate during “10 minutes of terror” has been jailed for four years.
Sam Grigg, 36, who was sacked from the Met after being charged, previously pleaded guilty at Kingston Crown Court to false imprisonment and assault against Natasha Rabinowitz, who was then 23.
During his sentencing at the same court, Judge Peter Lodder KC said Grigg had “an obsession with BDSM”, adding that he told his ex-girlfriend his police handcuffs “had come in useful” for it.
Three pairs of handcuffs and police-issue batons were among the items found in Grigg’s bedroom by officers, along with horror film Better Watch Out, which depicts a woman bound in rope with duct tape over her mouth.
“Ten minutes with duct tape over your mouth without knowing what’s going to happen to you must feel like an eternity,” he said.
BDSM is an umbrella term that covers bondage, discipline, sadism and masochism and relates to a range of sexual preferences involving control and pain.
He summarised how Grigg approached Ms Rabinowitz in the kitchen of the “large townhouse” they shared in Twickenham, south-east London, while their other flatmates were out, on December 2 last year.
The former officer, wearing a navy blue suit and tie, appeared emotionless as Judge Lodder described how he had duct-taped Ms Rabinowitz’s hands and feet and “smiled” as he watched her struggle to escape.
“She repeatedly asked ‘why are you doing this’ and you replied that it was funny,” the judge said. “It was very clear that she did not agree but you persisted.
“Although she continued to struggle, you became more forceful… You overcame her continuing resistance by sitting over the top of her as you then put duct tape over her mouth.
“She was terrified – you rendered her almost completely helpless.”
After Ms Rabinowitz said she would report him, Grigg told her: “Who are you going to tell? I am the police” – a comment which the judge said was particularly sinister following recent criminal cases involving Met officers.
“You knew the likely effect of this observation – this was over a year after the publicity surrounding the death of Sarah Everard and some months after the arrest of David Carrick,” he said.
“It is likely that your threat caused her to lack confidence about going straight to the police.
“Sadly, for a wholly innocent victim, she has even questioned whether she was to blame, and wondered if she had brought this upon herself, which manifestly she had not.”
During the assault, a postman rang the doorbell and Grigg answered before returning to his victim – and Judge Lodder said it was this which likely stopped Grigg from sexually assaulting her.
“Importantly I take the view that this was for your own sexual gratification,” he said.
“It is correct that you did not rape or sexually assault Natasha, but this attack was on a woman who was almost a stranger to you.
“I share the probation officer’s view, that it was the knock on the door that caused you to stop.”
Judge Lodder said it was “clear” that Grigg has “an obsession with BDSM conduct”, referring to his ex-girlfriend’s comments about the “enjoyment of power you gained by restraining her” and how he was “particularly turned on by restraining her mouth”.
“She questioned whether your interests were appropriate given your job, you answered that work handcuffs had come in useful as you would use them during these acts,” he said.
“In her opinion you get a kick out of arresting women as it is a form of restraint.”
Judge Lodder said the pre-sentence report found that Grigg posed “a high risk of serious harm to a known adult, and a medium risk to the public, specifically any female with whom you are in a romantic relationship, is a friend or even a housemate”.
In the message to her friend, she said: “I genuinely, like 100%, thought he was going to rape me.
“My mind was torn because he had always been such a nice guy. He’s a bit weird but very sweet, so when it was happening I was like: ‘surely not’.”
Reading the victim statement on her behalf, prosecutor Alexander Agbamu said: “She hasn’t slept properly since this incident.
“She has experienced nightmares at night and flashbacks by day.
“She didn’t eat for a long time, she’s become jumpier in everyday situations.
“She’s considered harming herself and has experienced increased anxiety and a generalised deterioration in her mental health.”
He added: “She has punched herself. She’s also considered using a knife on herself.
“She has also been questioning whether in any way she was to blame for the incident – whether she somehow gave the defendant the wrong impression.
“She’s uncomfortable now in environments where there are lots of people, and where there are lots of men in particular.
“She’s uncomfortable when unfamiliar people enter the house.
“She feels anxious when she sees a police vehicle, walks past a police station or when a police officer passes close by.
“It’s caused her to mistrust the police and made her concerned about the recruitment processes of the police, though she makes clear that the police, once they received her message, dealt with her complaint very swiftly and very positively.”
Grigg was arrested mid-shift at Mitcham Police Station, and during a search of his bedroom, officers found a bag of cable ties, three pairs of handcuffs, friction-locked batons, bundles of rope, a gag and ball, and four silk cloths.
Defending, John Howey said Grigg had been able to keep the police-issued handcuffs due to “lax procedures in place at his station”.
Commander Jon Savell, responsible for the Met’s professional standards team, said: “This was a terrifying ordeal for the woman. Grigg’s behaviour was appalling and I know it will cause concern among members of the public.
“He’s let down the Met and his colleagues who are committed to protecting Londoners.
“We took immediate action to suspend Grigg from duty when his offending came to light and dismissed at the earliest opportunity.
“We are determined to have a Met that the public can trust, with officers that people feel confident to approach. When someone fails to meet these standards, we will take action to remove them from our organisation.”
The incident was reported on December 6 last year and Grigg was charged two days later, appearing in custody at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on December 8.
It comes as two to three Met officers are expected to face criminal charges in court each week over the coming months, as the scandal-hit force attempts reform.
A police officer since 2016, Grigg, of Hazel Close, Twickenham, south-west London, had been attached to the Met’s South West Basic Command Unit until he was dismissed on January 30.
