A former police sergeant, Campbell Petrie, 50, has been convicted of sex offences and violence against two women. He was found guilty of nine charges, including indecently assaulting one woman between 2006 and 2009, and raping a second woman on multiple occasions between 2011 and 2014. Petrie was also convicted of assaulting both women by grabbing their throats and restricting their breathing.
Petrie was first arrested in 2009 after one of the women made a complaint of threatening behaviour, but no further action was taken due to insufficient evidence. He remained a serving officer until October 2023, when another woman made an allegation of rape, leading to an investigation by specialist sexual crime officers.
He was arrested, charged, and suspended in December 2023, retiring from the force two years later. Petrie denied the allegations during his trial at the High Court in Glasgow.
The conviction has raised fresh questions regarding background checks on police in Scotland. The Inspectorate of Constabulary in Scotland (HMICS) has expressed deep concern about vetting at the force, noting a lack of progress on previous recommendations for improvement. Scotland's justice secretary, Neil Gray, described Petrie's case as "extremely disturbing" and his abuse of trust as "abhorrent."
Police Scotland's deputy chief constable Bex Smith stated that an independent historic data wash carried out in 2023 did not identify any unknown information on Petrie. The Police (Ethics, Conduct and Scrutiny) (Scotland) Act, passed in January 2025, aims to strengthen vetting procedures, with all officers now intended to undergo a career-long, structured regime of ongoing vetting.