Ex-Commissioner of RGP Ian McGrail Not Guilty of Assault Charge

Charles Gomez and Nicholas Gomez represented Mr Ian McGrail at the trial.

Featured Images Source: Gibraltar Broadcasting Corporation (GBC)

In a case which has been headline news on all media platforms and local newspapers, ex-Commissioner of the Royal Gibraltar Police, Ian McGrail, defeated an accusation of sexual assault brought against him by a serving police officer.

The allegation was that, on an unspecified date in the summer of 2018, Mr. McGrail had groped the complainant in the main administrative hallway of the New Mole House police station.

Mr. McGrail was arrested in an early-morning raid on his home at 6:50 AM by a team of police officers hailing from Northern Ireland and Wales on the 13th of April 2023.

From the beginning, Mr. McGrail vehemently denied the charge and set about to show what he said were very serious and concerning inconsistencies in the complainant’s evidence.

The decision was taken by Mr. McGrail and his legal team at Charles Gomez & Co to press on for an early trial, which was heard on the week beginning the 6th of June 2023.

Principal barrister Charles Gomez who acted as lead counsel said:

“Mr. McGrail has had to endure three years of aggravation since he was forced to retire early as Commissioner of the Royal Gibraltar Police in June 2020. Since then, he has been buffeted by a surprising number of attacks on his integrity and peace of mind.

These have included a previous early morning arrest and accusations, one of which had already been withdrawn. It was for this reason that we took the strategic decision to plough on with this case to dispatch it without delay, before it caused any further stress to a man who has been battling an onslaught of attacks from many sides over the last 36 months.”

The evidence produced to the court did not meet the standard required in a criminal prosecution, and this morning (12.06.2023), the Judge, Mr. Charles Pitto, dismissed the charge.

Previously, Mr. McGrail had been released from arrest in relation to suspicion of involvement in a data breach affecting the office of the then-solicitors for the so-called McGrail Inquiry.

At the time, he had expressed bewilderment that he should have been arrested when it was he who brought the data breach to the attention of the authorities.

Mr. McGrail now hopes that he can be allowed to continue to prepare for the Inquiry into his early retirement, which is being chaired by Sir Peter Charles Openshaw, a retired English High Court Judge.

Related: Charles Gomez Statement on Data Breach Arrest