BREAKING NEWS: Northamptonshire policeman denies raping 17-year-old girl on duty

A Northamptonshire policeman has denied raping a 17-year-old girl while on duty.

By The Newsroom

Published 18th May 2016, 16:36 BST

Updated 18th May 2016, 19:25 BST

Declan Gabriel (right) leaving Kettering Magistrates' Court in March.

Local response officer PC Declan Gabriel, 27, was charged with rape, two counts of sexual assault and misconduct in a public office in February.

Appearing at Northampton Crown Court today wearing a light blue shirt and grey tie, he entered pleas of not guilty to all four counts, which are alleged to have taken place on a day in September, 2015.

A trial date was set for February 20 next year, with the hearing expected to last five days.

Expert witnesses are expected to be called during the trial.

PC Gabriel will next appear at court for a pre-trial hearing on January 23, 2017.

His arrest came months after Gabriel, whose address cannot be given for legal reasons, was hailed a hero for giving first aid to a one-year-old girl in Kingsley, which he discovered while investigating a burglary.

He promptly rushed the girl to Northampton General Hospital.

Northamptonshire