Ex-boss of police watchdog accused of rape in 1980s to face trial next year

Michael Lockwood, 64, is accused of nine sexual offences in total.

Former IOPC director Michael Lockwood, 64, is charged with six counts of sexual assault and three counts of rape against a 14-year-old girl in 1980s (PA) (PA Wire)

The former head of the police watchdog faces trial at the Old Bailey next summer for the alleged rape of a 14-year-old girl in the 1980s.

Michael Lockwood is accused of nine sexual offences dating back to when he worked as a part-time lifeguard at a Humberside sport centre.

They are six counts of indecent assault and three counts of rape, all relating to a woman who was aged 14 at the time.

The offences are alleged to have taken place between October 1985 and March 1986 when the defendant was aged 25 and 26.

Now aged 64, Lockwood appeared at the Old Bailey on Wednesday before Mr Justice Jeremy Baker for a preliminary hearing.

Wearing a maroon tie, white shirt and dark suit, he stood to confirm his identity and then remained standing in the dock throughout the hearing.

The senior judge rejected a prosecution application to transfer the case to the North East circuit where the original offences are alleged to have taken place.

He set a trial of up to three weeks at the Old Bailey from July 1, 2024 and a further day-long pre-trial hearing on a date to be fixed in December.

The defendant, who has previously indicated not guilty pleas to the charges against him, was granted continued unconditional bail.

Lockwood had stepped down as director-general at the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) last December after it emerged he was the subject of a police probe into historical allegations of sexual abuse.

The defendant, of Epsom, Surrey, 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.