Neil Wilby Media

The former Director General of the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) has pleaded not guilty to raping and indecently assaulting a girl aged under 16.

Michael Lockwood, 65, who lives at an address in Epsom, Surrey, denied three counts of rape and six counts of indecent assault when appearing at the Old Bailey earlier today (18th March, 2024).

The offences were allegedly committed between October 1985 and March 1986 whilst Lockwood was employed as a part-time fitness instructor and lifeguard at a sports centre in Hull.

The offences are said to have taken place between October 1985 and March 1986 when Lockwood was in his mid-twenties.

These alleged offences took place in late 1985 and early 1986. At the time the complainant had just turned 14. She reported the offences to the police in the early part of 2022.

Lockwood faces a two to three-week trial at the Old Bailey, opening on 1st July, 2024 before a High Court judge. The married father of two remains on unconditional bail.

He resigned from the IOPC in December 2022 after it emerged, publicly, he was the subject of a criminal investigation by Humberside Police into historical allegations of sexual abuse.

He was appointed to lead the IOPC when it replaced the disgraced police watchdog, the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) in January, 2018.

Lockwood also spent a two year period as executive director of finance and policy at the Local Government Association.

Page last updated: Monday 18th March, 2024 at 1925 hours

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