UK EX-POLICE WATCHDOG CHIEF CHARGED WITH RAPING A MINOR

Sat 17 June 2023:

UK former head of the police watchdog has been accused with rape and indecent abuse on a minor.

Michael Lockwood, 64, is charged with six charges of indecent assault and three counts of rape against a minor under the age of sixteen.

Lockwood, 64, stepped down from his role at the IOPC in December after it emerged he was the subject of a police probe into a historical allegation.

The offences are alleged to have taken place between October 1985 and March 1986. He is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on June 28.

Rosemary Ainslie, head of the Special Crime Division at the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), said: “After carefully considering all of the evidence provided to us by Humberside Police, we have authorized charges against Michael Lockwood, 64, for nine offences under the Sexual Offences Act 1956.

“Mr Lockwood has been charged with six counts of indecent assault and three offences of rape against a girl under the age of 16, alleged to have been committed during the 1980s. “The Crown Prosecution Service reminds all concerned that criminal proceedings against Mr Lockwood are active and that he has the right to a fair trial.”

Lockwood was the first director general appointed to lead the IOPC when it replaced the Independent Police Complaints Commission in 2018. He was previously chief executive of the London Borough of Harrow in north-west London. After the 2017 Grenfell Tower fire, he was asked by a government taskforce to lead recovery and remediation work and liaize with bereaved families, survivors and the wider community.

After Lockwood stepped down last year, the IOPC announced it was conducting a review to “determine whether appropriate steps were taken” before his resignation.

Home Secretary Suella Braverman said at the time that she took “immediate action” after she was made aware he was the subject of a police investigation and instructed her officials to ask him to resign or face immediate suspension.

An IOPC spokesman said on Friday: “We are aware of the CPS’s decision to charge Michael Lockwood in relation to allegations relating to non-recent events.

“Mr Lockwood was IOPC director general from 2018 to 2022, but as a Crown appointee, not employed by the IOPC. “As criminal proceedings are active, we are unable to comment any further.”

The charges come after a number of high-profile crimes by police officers eroded public confidence in U.K. law enforcement and sparked protests around the country.

In 2021, off-duty officer Wayne Couzens kidnapped, raped and murdered 33-year-old Sarah Everard as she was walking near her home. Prior to killing Everard, Couzens had been accused of multiple instances of indecent exposure, but was allowed to continue working.

Earlier this year, another man, David Carrick, admitted to carrying out 24 counts of rape and sexual offenses against 12 women while he was a police officer. He was sentenced to a minimum of 30 years in prison.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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