Officer allegedly assaulted a woman who called the police to report a crime — then made one mistake that caught up with him 14 years later

A police officer sexually assaulted a woman in her Glasgow, Scotland, home in 2012, and wasn’t caught for over a decade. What finally undid him, it turns out, were a few search entries typed into a police computer.

Police Scotland has confirmed the man was PC Alan Greer, 47. Anti-Corruption Unit officers searched an address in Wishaw and arrested him there on April 24. He was let go without charge while inquires continued, and suspended from duty. On May 6, officers returned to the same address and found him dead.

Nothing about how they found him was suspicious, and STV News reported he’d taken his own life. The Crown has since directed the police watchdog to examine the death.

All of this began when the woman filed a sexual assault complaint in 2025, alleging that a police officer assaulted him. She told detectives that uniformed members of the force had come to her Glasgow home in 2012 after she’d called to report a crime. Hours later, one of them came back alone, and sexually assaulted her.

The keystrokes that gave him away

Detectives went looking for evidence, and they found it. Over the weeks that followed the attack, one of the attending officers had opened the woman’s crime report over and over, with nothing in his duties to justify it.

One of those look-ups happened while he was on annual leave, per the BBC. The entries pointed to Greer.

The people involved then found a second set of footprints in the logs. A Glasgow sex worker had previously reported a violent client. The phone number attached to the report turned out to be Greer’s. Detectives then caught Greer running the same search on a newer complaint.

Nine victims have been identified, and more are expected

The devices seized from Greer’s house held image and video files numbering in the thousands. Officers believe he paid hundreds of women for sex across his years in the force. Nine victims have been identified so far, five of whom are sex workers he attacked while off duty. Two are female officers he photographed inappropriately at training sessions.

Investigators even claim the violence in some cases would have justified attempted murder charges had he lived.

Greer joined Strathclyde Police in 2009 and moved into officer safety training around 2016. Assistant Chief Constable Lynn Ratcliff has maintained that no warning signs had been overlooked. She urged anyone who believes they were targeted to contact the police.

If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. Survivors of sexual assault can contact RAINN’s National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-4673 or online at rainn.org.