Police officer Alan Greer, who died in May, was a violent rapist responsible for a series of sexual attacks and attempted murders of women spanning at least 14 years, the BBC has revealed. Greer's first known victim was a woman he raped in her Glasgow home in 2012 after she had initially called the police to report a crime.

The woman’s report of the sex attack by Greer late last year triggered one of Police Scotland's largest anti-corruption investigations. Detectives have since identified eight additional victims, five of whom were sex workers attacked while Greer was off duty. The investigation also revealed that Greer frequently used prostitutes throughout his police career, and authorities anticipate that more victims will come forward.

Assistant Chief Constable Lynn Ratcliff, the gold commander for the investigation, described the findings as "truly shocking." She stated that Greer "clearly abused his power and has revisited someone that he's encountered in the course of his duties." Ratcliff highlighted the bravery of the initial victim, whose report "was the trigger point for us starting our investigation," enabling the proactive identification of eight further victims.

The revelations follow a BBC Disclosure investigation into Greer's conduct. A source close to the inquiry drew a parallel between this case and that of Wayne Couzens, a Met Police officer convicted of the rape and murder of Sarah Everard. Greer, originally from Australia, joined Strathclyde Police in 2009 before its merger with Police Scotland in 2013. He served 17 years with an apparently unblemished record.

Greer initially worked as a uniformed response officer in Glasgow and later moved into officer safety training around 2016, where he instructed both probationer and experienced officers. He was 47 at the time of his death and had a wife and child. It is understood that his family and colleagues were unaware of his "violent double life."

Senior officers have maintained that there were no opportunities to detect Greer's offending earlier. The investigation was initiated when a woman in her late thirties reported a crime at a Glasgow police station towards the end of last year. She recounted an incident in 2012 where, after reporting a disturbance at her home, uniformed officers attended. Hours later, one of those officers returned alone, forced her into a sexual act, and raped her.

Following her report last year, the woman reportedly disengaged from further inquiries, but her account provided the crucial starting point for the extensive investigation that has since uncovered multiple victims. The full scale of Greer's offending over more than a decade is still being assessed as the investigation continues.

The ongoing inquiry aims to fully understand the extent of Greer's criminal actions and to provide support to all identified victims. Police Scotland has stated its commitment to transparency and to learning from this deeply disturbing case to prevent future occurrences and rebuild public trust.