Met Police officer charged with 6 counts of rape after distressed woman found
The officer has been identified as PC Cliff Mitchell
PA
A Met Police officer has been suspended after being charged with six counts of rape.
A woman was found in a state of distress by a member of the public and was taken into a police station to speak of the incident.
PC Cliff Mitchell, 23, a serving Met Police officer has been charged of six counts of rape, as well as one count of making threats to kill and one count of breaching a non-molestation order.
Mitchell was not on duty at the time of the incident or his arrest.
The distressed woman was found in Hackbridge, Sutton, south-west London
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He has been suspended from duty and will appear later today at court.
The case has been referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct, the Met police said.
Deputy Assistant Commissioner Stuart Cundy said: "These are horrific allegations and the victim is being supported by specially trained officers.
"Officers from the Met’s Directorate of Professional Standards are investigating. They are highly experienced detectives specialising in sexual offences.
"The arrest of a serving police officer on suspicion of such serious offences is extremely concerning and I recognise will cause considerable concern among London's communities.
"I share those concerns and have made an immediate referral to the Independent Office for Police Conduct."
The woman was spotted by a member of the public on Tuesday, who believed her to be in distress.
She was found at about 2pm Hackbridge, Sutton, south-west London.
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Mitchell will appear later today in custody at Westminster Magistrates' Court
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The police were told that she had been attacked inside a property by a man who then forced her into a car.
The woman and Mitchell allegedly knew one another.
Mitchell is attached to the West Area Basic Command Unit.
He will appear later today in custody at Westminster Magistrates' Court.