A police officer has been charged with three counts of rape while on duty.

Sergeant David Stansbury, 42, is due before Plymouth Magistrates’ Court on April 19 accused of raping a woman aged 16 years or over.

Devon and Cornwall Police said the charges related to alleged incidents in Plymouth in 2009 while he was on duty.

The force said the allegations have been under investigation since being reported to them in September 2020.

Stansbury, of Ilminister, Somerset was an officer in Devon and Cornwall between 2009 and 2011 and now serves with Hertfordshire Police.

He is currently suspended from duty.

A Devon and Cornwall Police spokesman said: “If you have any information that you feel may assist this investigation, please contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously by calling freephone 0800 555 111.”