Police federation calls for public patience after rape report sparked protests
Police officers were pelted with eggs and beer cans during protests
Last updated 27th Apr 2026
Surrey Police Federation has urged the public to be patient after a reported rape in Epsom caused public disorder before detectives said no offence had taken place.
Police officers were pelted with eggs and beer cans during protests after reports of a sex attack near a church in the town.
Protesters called for the ethnicity of the alleged perpetrators be made public.
But detectives said on Thursday they had closed the investigation after revealing the woman who made the initial report on April 11 had suffered a head injury on a night-out at Labyrinth nightclub.
The head injury, Surrey Police added, had led the woman to give a confused account of what had taken place.
As a result, the force confirmed they were “confident” no offence had taken place.
In a statement on Monday, Surrey Police Federation chairman Darren Pemble said members were subjected to “unacceptable” verbal and physical abuse and violence.
He went on: “We thank our officers for the way they have conducted themselves during a challenging period and for their professionalism.
“It goes without saying that Surrey Police will take every report of sexual offending seriously and every allegation will be investigated in full.
“Investigations are complex and are not solved within 60 minutes as we see on TV. We need the public to be patient and trust us to uncover the facts.”
Helen Maguire, MP for Epsom and Ewell, told the Press Association that she found unrest in the town “deeply concerning”.
Surrey Police and Crime Commissioner Lisa Townsend defended the way the police handled the case as it would not have been appropriate for officers to provide a “running commentary” on the investigation until they had completed their inquiries.
She said: “Sadly, this situation was exploited by some who used legitimate concerns local residents may have had around the safety of women and girls in our communities to push a far more sinister narrative.
“Instead of exercising some degree of patience and restraint, and letting the police do their job to establish the facts, we had numerous social media commentators, politicians and ‘experts’ lining up to give their theories on a case they had limited knowledge of.”