Serving Met Police officer charged with 13 child sex offences

PC Hussain Chehab has been suspended from duty

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A serving Metropolitan Police officer has been charged with sexual activity with an underage girl, taking indecent images of children and other child sex offences.

PC Hussain Chehab, based in the North Area Basic Command Unit, is accused of a total of 13 crimes.

A spokesperson for Scotland Yard said he was arrested in July 2021 and charged on Tuesday.

PC Chehab is accused of four counts of sexual activity with a girl aged between 13 and 15, five counts of making indecent images of a child, taking indecent images of children, engaging in sexual communication with a child, distributing indecent images of a child and encouraging or assisting in the distribution of indecent images of children.

The offences are alleged to have occurred between 2019 and 2021.

He was due to appear at Highbury Corner Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday afternoon.

The Metropolitan Police said its Directorate of Professional Standards had been informed and PC Chehab had been suspended from duty.

Detective Chief Superintendent Caroline Haines, in charge of policing for the North Area Command Unit, said: “We recognise that this news will cause concern within the community and we have fully engaged with our local partners throughout this investigation.

“The Met has announced a comprehensive review of its standards as part of a genuine commitment to rebuild trust but I understand that developments such as this undermine that work.

“We would encourage anyone who has concerns about the actions of any of our officers to report them to us immediately.”