Serving police officer charged with rape

LONDON- A serving officer has been suspended from duty after being charged with rape.

PC Andrej Sagaidak, who was working in his probation period and is attached to the local policing team in south-east London. He was charged on Friday, 5 January.

He was charged with two counts of rape, one count of non-fatal strangulation and one count of causing actual bodily harm.

He appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Saturday, 6 January where he was remanded in custody to appear at Snaresbrook Crown Court on Friday, 2 February.

Detective Chief Superintendent Trevor Lawry, responsible for policing in Bexley, Greenwich and Lewisham said: “This is a deeply concerning allegation and I know it will cause significant concern.

“We took immediate action when we received the report and the officer was suspended from duty following his arrest on Thursday.”

“An investigation was launched after we received a report that a man had been raped by another man at a residential property in Islington on Monday, 1 January”, he said.

The officer was off-duty at the time of the alleged offence.