UK: Ex-police chief charged with rape of minor

The former chief constable of British police has been charged with rape and sexual assault of a minor, a case that adds to a series of scandals involving British law enforcement, prosecutors said on Friday. Michael Lockwood, 64, has been formally charged with three rapes and six sexual assaults of a child under 16, the Crown Prosecution Service said. The facts would have taken place between October 1985 and March 1986.

Michael Lockwood, 64, announced in December his resignation as head of the IOPC (Independent Office for Police Conduct), the British police force. In a context of crisis of confidence in the British police, the government then explained that it was the subject of an investigation for old facts.

He was formally charged on Friday with three rapes and six sexual assaults on a child under 16, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said. “After carefully reviewing all the evidence provided to us by the police, we have authorized the charge of Michael Lockwood,” said CPS official Rosemary Ainslie.

A spokesperson for the IOPC said on Friday it was “aware of the prosecution’s decision to indict Michael Lockwood on allegations relating to non-recent events.” “As criminal proceedings are ongoing, we are unable to comment further. Mr. Lockwood is due to appear on June 28 in Hull (northeast). He denies the charges against him.

British police have been rocked by several recent scandals, with officers accused of racist, homophobic and misogynistic, and even criminal behavior. 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 office.

Before him, the rape and murder of a young woman, Sarah Everard, by police officer Wayne Couzens in 2021 sent shock waves through the country. Previous reports commissioned after these cases have already highlighted the need for systemic reform within various services, including London’s Met Police, the country’s largest police force with over 43,000 officers and staff.