A former Essex inspector will appear in court on sexual offences charges following an Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) investigation.

Jonathan McLeod, 34, is charged with four counts of sexual touching. He will also be subject to a gross misconduct hearing.

The IOPC said in a statement: “We investigated complaints from a woman in January 2019 alleging that he abused his position for sexual purpose. Our investigation concluded in December 2019.

“We provided our evidence to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) who then made the decision to charge Mr McLeod.”

Mr McLeod,  who was based in Basildon, resigned from the force in March 2020. He is due to appear before Colchester Magistrates Court on 28 July.

A force spokesperson said: "It would be inappropriate for us to comment any further at this time as legal proceedings are now active.

"Any Essex Police misconduct proceedings would follow at the conclusion of criminal matters."