Serving police officer, 29, charged with rape and sexual assault

A serving police officer has been bailed after he appeared in court charged with rape and sexual assault.

PC Kane Haywood stood in the dock at Plymouth Magistrates Court to face three allegations said to have taken place in Exeter in March 2021.

The 29-year-old is charged with two counts of rape of a woman aged 16 years or over and sexual assault by penetration.

Haywood, an officer for Devon and Cornwall Police, was not required to enter a plea during the brief hearing on Wednesday.

District Judge Jo Matson told Haywood, from east Devon, his case was too serious to be heard by magistrates and would be sent to Crown Court.

Haywood, who is currently suspended from duty, was granted conditional bail until the next hearing at Exeter Crown Court on 17 February.

His court appearance comes as police conduct is under the spotlight after serving Metropolitan Police officer David Carrick was unmasked as one of the UK’s most prolific sex offenders.

The 48-year-old, who has now been officially sacked, was found to have committed gross misconduct after admitting 49 criminal charges including 24 counts of rape against 12 women over an 18-year period.

Carrick faced complaints about his behaviour before he joined the force in 2001, then again as a probationer in 2002 and several times throughout his policing career until 2021.

He was only suspended from duty in October 2021 when he was arrested for rape, and his pay was finally stopped in December 2022 when he admitted the majority of the criminal charges he faced.

More than 1,000 Metropolitan Police officers and staff who have previously been accused of domestic abuse or sexual offences are now having their cases reviewed.