A former police watchdog boss has been charged with a string of rapes and indecent assaults on a teenage girl nearly 40 years ago.
Michael Lockwood, 64, stood down as director general of the Independent Office for Police Conduct in December last year, after shock revelations that he was facing a criminal investigation into child sex allegations.
The Crown Prosecution Service announced on Friday that Lockwood, a former London council chief executive, has now been charged with nine offences.
The allegations date back to 1985 and 1986, when Lockwood was in his mid-20s, and relate to allegations of sexual abuse of a girl under the age of 16.
“After carefully considering all of the evidence provided to us by Humberside Police, we have authorised charges against Michael Lockwood, 64, for nine offences under the Sexual Offences Act 1956”, said Rosemary Ainslie, Head of the Special Crime Division at the CPS.
“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 is due to appear to face the charges for the first time at Hull magistrates court at 2pm next Wednesday (June 28).
His shock resignation from the IOPC came after he had privately disclosed to the Home Office that he was under investigation.
“I have accepted Michael Lockwood’s resignation as director general of the Independent Office for Police Conduct”, Home Secretary Suella Braverman said at the time.
“I took immediate action upon being made aware that Mr Lockwood was the subject of a police investigation into an historic allegation, and instructed my officials to ask him to resign or face immediate suspension from his role.”
An IOPC probe into the handling of the case and Lockwood’s continued role at the head of the watchdog was also launched.
Former Director of Public Prosecutions Sir David Calvert Smith has been brought in to head-up the review.
Lockwood was appointed as the IOPC’s first director general in 2018 when the body was created to replace the Independent Police Complaints Commission.
Previously he headed a government taskforce in the aftermath of the Grenfell Tower disaster, to help bereaved families, and has also previously worked as chief executive to Harrow Council.
In a statement at the time of his resignation from the IOPC, Lockwood said: “It is with great sadness that I have decided to resign as director general of the IOPC for personal and domestic reasons, and this will be effective from today.
“It has been an enormous privilege to serve as the first director general of the IOPC and to have led the organisation for the past five years. I am proud of the progress we have made and I am grateful to all our staff, the unitary board and external stakeholders for all their support.
“The unitary board will now work with the Home Office to put in place new leadership arrangements as quickly as possible.”
