By Le Figaro with AFP
Posted 2 hours ago, updated 41 minutes ago
Michael Lockwood, 64, has been charged with the rape and sexual assault of a minor, British prosecutors said on June 16, 2023. ANDY BUCHANAN / AFP
The crime allegedly took place between October 1985 and March 1986 on a child under the age of 16, the British public prosecutor said.
The former chief of police in the UK has been charged with the rape and sexual assault of a minor, a case that comes on top of a series of scandals involving UK law enforcement, prosecutors said on Friday June 16.
Michael Lockwood, 64, announced his resignation as chief of the IOPC (Independent Office for Police Conduct), the British police force, in December. In the context of the crisis of confidence in the British police, the government then explained that it was an investigation based on old facts.
Facts between 1985 and 1986
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said he was formally charged on Friday with three counts of raping and six sexually assaulting a child under the age of 16. The acts are said to have taken place between October 1985 and March 1986. “After carefully reviewing all of the evidence presented to us by the police, we have approved the charges against Michael Lockwood,” said Rosemary Ainslie, a CPS officer.
A spokesman for the IOPC said Friday it was “aware of the prosecutors’ decision to indict Michael Lockwood on allegations related to non-recent events.” “As the criminal case is pending we are unable to comment further.” Michael Lockwood is scheduled to perform in Hull (North East) on June 28th. He denies the allegations against him.
Several scandals
The British police have recently been rocked by several scandals in which officers have been accused of racist, homophobic and misogynist and even criminal behaviour. In February, David Carrick, a 48-year-old police officer, was sentenced to life in prison for dozens of rapes and sexual assaults against 12 women whom he terrorized by promoting his features.
Before him, the rape and murder of a young woman, Sarah Everard, by police officer Wayne Couzens in 2021 sent shockwaves across the country. Previous reports commissioned after his cases have already highlighted the need for system reform across services, including London’s Met Police, the country’s largest police force with more than 43,000 officers and staff.
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