Metropolitan Police officer accused of raping woman he met on Tinder
- Published
PC David Carrick is currently suspended from duty
A Metropolitan Police officer accused of raping a woman he met on Tinder has been remanded in custody.
PC David Carrick, 46, of Stevenage, Hertfordshire, appeared before St Albans Magistrates' Court on Monday morning.
The court was told he "emphatically denies" attacking a woman after the pair went for drinks in St Albans.
Mr Carrick, who is currently suspended from duty, is due to appear at St Albans Crown Court on 1 November.
He was off-duty at the time of the alleged offence in September last year, police said.
Mr Carrick appeared at court via videolink from a police station in Stevenage, wearing a white collared shirt, and spoke only to confirm his identity.
The court heard he is alleged to have taken the woman back to a Premier Inn after visiting two pubs in St Albans.
The attack is alleged to have taken place the following morning.
Defending Mr Carrick, Ryan Dowding said: "He emphatically denies the allegations."
He was charged by Hertfordshire Constabulary on Sunday after his arrest on Saturday.
'Deeply concerned'
Scotland Yard said Mr Carrick was based within the Met's Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command.
This is the same unit where the murderer of Sarah Everard, Wayne Couzens, had worked.
Metropolitan Police Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick said: "I am deeply concerned to hear the news that an officer from the Met's Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command has been arrested and now charged with this serious offence.
"I fully recognise the public will be very concerned, too.
"Criminal proceedings must now take their course so I am unable to comment any further at this stage."
The Met said Mr Carrick had been suspended from duty and added that a referral had been made to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).
A spokesman for the IOPC confirmed a referral had been made to them over the weekend and it was being assessed.
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