Former Met officer charged with repeated rape and sexual assault of 'vulnerable' woman he met while on duty
2 September 2024, 11:26 | Updated: 2 September 2024, 23:04
A former Metropolitan Police Officer who served alongside convicted predator Wayne Couzens has been charged with fifteen counts of sexual assault - including two counts of rape.
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Ex-Pc Mark Tyrrell, 55, who was based in the force's Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command, will appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Wednesday.
Tyrrell is charged with two counts of rape, 11 counts of sexual assault, four counts of sexual assault by penetration, three counts of perverting the course of justice and one count of misconduct in public office.
All the charges relate to one alleged victim with the offences said to have taken place between 2017 and 2023.
The former PC retired before the conclusion of the inquiry, police watchdog the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) has confirmed.
Tyrrell was first arrested in April 2023, while he was a serving officer, as part of an investigation by the Met’s Directorate of Professional Standards.
He was subsequently suspended following his detention, with the IOPC launching an investigation in April 2023 after the Met made a conduct referral about Tyrell to the watchdog.
It follows the conviction of colleague and former Diplomatic Protection officer Couzens, 51, who was handed a whole-life term for the rape and murder of 33-year-old Sarah Everard.
The Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command (PaDP) unit of the Met is responsible for providing officers to protect the Palace of Westminster, which contains the Houses of Parliament; it protects government ministers and provides advice on threat levels.
Read more: Serving Met officer to stand trial on sex offence charges including rape and voyeurism
Tyrell also stands accused of three counts of perverting the course of justice over claims that he deleted messages, pressured the alleged victim to provide false accounts, and lied during interview while under caution.
The former officer is also accused of misconduct in public office for allegedly engaging in an inappropriate relationship with the woman.
Tyrell claimed he met the woman during the course of his policing duties and knew her to be in a vulnerable position.
It comes just days after a serving Met officer is set to stand trial after being charged with additional sex offences including rape and voyeurism, the force said.
PC Jake Cummings, 25, from Hemel Hempstead, has been charged with two counts of rape, three counts of stalking, three counts of controlling and coercive behaviour and three counts of voyeurism, Scotland Yard said.
