Probationary MPS officer charged with rape
A serving Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) officer has been suspended from duty after being charged with rape.
PC Andrej Sagaidak, who was working in his probation period, was charged on Friday (January 5) with two counts of rape, one count of non-fatal strangulation and one count of causing actual bodily harm.
The force said an investigation was launched after it received a report that a man had been raped by another man at a residential property in Islington on New Year’s Day.
The officer was off-duty at the time of the alleged offence.
PC Sagaidak, who is attached to the local policing team in south-east London, appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Saturday (January 6) where he was remanded in custody to appear at Snaresbrook Crown Court on Friday February 2.
Detective Chief Superintendent Trevor Lawry, responsible for policing in Bexley, Greenwich and Lewisham, said: “This is a deeply concerning allegation and I know it will cause significant concern.
“We took immediate action when we received the report and the officer was suspended from duty following his arrest on Thursday.”
“We continue to provide support to the victim and the investigation is ongoing,” the MPS said.
A mandatory referral has been made to the Independent Office for Police Conduct.