A Metropolitan Police detective dismissed over allegations of making sexual advances towards victims and offering cocaine to women at swingers’ parties, has died in custody. Former Detective Inspector Warren Arter, 54, was found unresponsive in his cell at HMP Wandsworth, less than a week after being charged with misconduct.

Arter, who had been remanded in custody at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday, passed away on Friday.

He was due to appear at Woolwich Crown Court next month, charged with misconduct in public office after accusations surfaced of inappropriate contact with a victim of crime.

The disgraced officer, who had been working on a unit dealing with rape victims, was dismissed for gross misconduct in May last year. This decision came after he had been suspended for six years on full pay due to allegations of drug use and offering to supply drugs at swingers’ parties.

Arter’s suspension, which began in 2016, reportedly cost Scotland Yard approximately £400,000 in salary payments. He was accused of pestering victims of sexual offences between 2006 and 2013 while he was a detective sergeant leading a rape investigation team that won an award in 2009 for having the best detection rate in the Metropolitan Police.

During his tenure, Arter allegedly offered Class A drugs to several women and photographed himself in front of lines of cocaine. He spent two years purchasing cocaine and MDMA, and sent text messages offering to supply drugs to others while working in the Met’s Sapphire squad.

Photographic evidence used in his misconduct tribunal included images of Arter sitting in front of a mirror with lines of white powder and a card on a coffee table, as well as plastic bags containing white powder on a set of digital scales. Despite the evidence, he avoided criminal charges after the Crown Prosecution Service decided not to pursue charges of drug dealing.

Arter’s behavior was found to breach police standards of professional behavior, including discreditable conduct, authority, respect and courtesy, duties and responsibilities, and honesty and integrity. A police misconduct hearing revealed his involvement in cocaine-fueled parties where he ignored drug use and suspected exploitation.

Upon his arrest in December 2016, as he returned from Jamaica, police discovered drug paraphernalia typically associated with dealing, including metal straws and mini scales bearing traces of cocaine, as well as a grip-seal bag containing traces of MDMA. Arter tested positive for cocaine while in custody.

He faced a three-day misconduct hearing where it was revealed he had purchased cocaine and MDMA multiple times between 2016 and 2018, regularly attended parties where drugs were consumed, and failed to act on knowledge of others’ drug use. The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) uncovered text messages where he arranged drug purchases, discussed drug use, and offered to supply cocaine.

Despite the lengthy investigation, Arter was due to face a secondary disciplinary hearing over allegations of abusing his position for a sexual purpose.

A Prison Service spokesperson confirmed Arter’s death, stating, “As with all deaths in custody, the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman will investigate.