English policeman accused of being serial rapist

Notice — November 14, 2010

The figures for alleged victim and offence numbers quoted in this article accurately reflect information available at the time. However, Wikinews has since become aware that the figures at trial were not the same.
The correct figures are five rapes, six indecent assaults, and fifteen counts of misconduct in a public office, to total 26 charges; sixteen women were involved.
It is not known whether this discrepancy is due to charges being dropped or inaccurate information.

For more information, including the trial's outcome, see English jury returns mix of verdicts in policeman's serial rape trial.

Friday, January 22, 2010

PC Stephen Mitchell, a policeman with northern England's Northumbria Police, has been remanded into custody after going before a court accused of being a serial rapist. Mitchell was arrested in Scotland on Monday and appeared before court yesterday.

Northumbria police made the arrest in Glasgow in connection with a string of attacks between 1999 and 2007 with nineteen alleged victims. He was taken to Northumbria, where officers on Wednesday charged him with seven rapes, seventeen sexual assaults, and nineteen instances of misconduct in a public office, totalling 43 offences.

41-year-old Mitchell, who has served covering the Newcastle and Northumberland areas, was denied bail at Newcastle Magistrates' Court by a district judge and will remain in prison until his next court appearance, before the Crown Court on February 4. He had initially appeared the day he was charged, but the case was adjourned one day to allow time for a bail request to be prepared.

The investigation was conducted by the professional standards department of Mitchell's police force, who are being supervised by the Independent Police Complaints Commission. A Commission spokesman described the inquiry as an "ongoing investigation" and asked anyone who might know anything relevant to get in touch with police.

Call +44 (0)3456 043 043 and ask for the Northern Communications Centre if you have any information for the police.

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Sources

"Policeman facing seven rape charges" — The Press Association, January 20, 2010
"Northumbria Pc accused of rapes denied bail" — BBC News Online, January 21, 2010

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