Police officer charged with rape

PC Jo Lavender will appear in court on Friday, West Yorkshire Police said

A serving West Yorkshire Police officer has been charged with rape.

Leeds-based PC Joe Lavender, 42, was due to appear before Bradford Magistrates' Court on Friday charged with one count of rape, a force spokesperson said.

The charge related to an alleged off-duty offence in January against an adult female, they added.

PC Lavender, of Orchard Grove in Castleford, had been suspended from duty since an investigation by the force's Professional Standards Directorate got under way, according to West Yorkshire Police.

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