A former officer from the Metropolitan Police has strongly criticized the department for its mishandling of an investigation following his off-duty confrontation with a pickpocket near Parliament.
Ned Donovan, aged 32, accused Scotland Yard of ‘malicious incompetence’ after discovering that one of the suspects involved in his assault case had been deported for a separate issue, despite being implicated in the attack.
Donovan, who is the grandson of renowned author Roald Dahl, expressed his disappointment over what he described as investigative ‘failures’.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, the former Special Constable remarked, “I dedicated five years to the Met without expecting anything in return. I was attacked while doing what any officer would—assisting a member of the public.”
“Their reaction has been 18 months of stagnation,” he added.
“This situation arises when detectives are overwhelmed with cases, hoping that CCTV footage erases itself or that suspects leave the country, allowing them to close the case,” Donovan concluded.
He has now written to Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley to outline his concerns.
Mr Donovan said: ‘I want to see a result and those who have failed face consequences. It’s all well and good to say the murder rate is down, but my story is one of many examples of failure with other crimes.
Ned Donovan was left with injuries to his face and body after being attacked in August 2024
Mr Donovan said he reported the matter to the Met, for whom he spent five years as a Special Constable, but has since discovered one of the suspects has been deported
‘I still love all my Met colleagues who work hard – but they’re let down by those who don’t even do the minimum.’
Mr Donovan was walking over Westminster Bridge in August 2024 when he noticed a tourist being pick-pocketed.
He sprang into action and detained the suspect, before being set upon by others.
He was left with multiple injuries to his head and body as a result of being punched, kicked, choked and bitten, and had to be taken to hospital.
He said what followed ‘was not an investigation’, claiming officers failed to take a victim personal statement from him for months, and delayed submitting DNA swabs.
A new officer took over the case in January last year following Mr Donovan’s complaints that the matter was not dealt with properly.
Mr Donovan left the Met in March last year, and now works as a full-time police officer in the US. He married Princess Raiyah bint Hussein of Jordan in 2020.
He said he was initially ‘hopeful’ the Met would crack the case after he helped gather witness evidence, but was told last week that the suspect had been ‘inadvertently deported’ – despite being named in his case.
Mr Donovan, pictured here at his wedding to Princess Raiyah of Jordan, said he feels let down by the force
Mr Donovan, grandson of Roald Dahl, spent five years with the Met. He is pictured working along the Mall for the final day of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Pageant in 2022
‘He should have been interviewed in prison within weeks of identification,’ Mr Donovan wrote in his letter to Sir Mark
‘He should have been flagged with HMPPS (His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service) and Immigration Enforcement so that any release or removal would trigger an alert. None of this happened.
‘He will never face trial. I was told an international warrant would be difficult to obtain.
‘The other suspect remains on bail. More lab work needed, apparently.
‘It has been eighteen months. I was attacked trying to help someone.’
The Met apologised and said the ‘investigation remains ongoing’.
A spokesman said: ‘We know that the service received is not always good enough and, on this occasion, we did not always meet the standards we would expect.
‘Better victim care – including consistent communication with those who have reported crimes to police – is one of our top priorities and we have made considerable progress in this area over the last two years.
‘However, we know that the service received is not always good enough and, on this occasion, we did not always meet the standards we would expect. We are sorry for the impact this has had on the victim, and know that delays to the investigation have also caused further frustration.
‘Every day we see examples of our officers acting courageously, often at serious risk to themselves, whether or not they are on duty.
‘They put themselves in danger in order to help keep London safe – it is actions like these that demonstrate the best of the Met.’
