A senior police officer with the Bedfordshire force is to appear in court charged with a string of offences including rape, coercive control and revenge porn.
Temporary Supt Mo Aziz, 48, from Luton, was arrested last July and charged following a lengthy investigation.
He has been accused of four counts of rape; two counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm; coercive and controlling behaviour; causing a female to engage in sexual activity, and two counts of disclosing or threatening to disclose private sexual photographs/film with intent to cause distress.
The offences are alleged to have taken place between 2015 and 2022.
Mr Aziz, who received an honour from the late Queen in July 2021 for his work on improving diversity in policing, is due to appear before Westminster magistrates’ court on Wednesday.
He joined Bedfordshire police in 2005 and worked his way up the ranks to temporary superintendent.
In an interview about why he joined the police, he said: “[I] wanted to do a job where I was helping some of the more vulnerable people in our county, and where I could really make a difference in the community where I grew up. I decided to apply.”
A spokesman for Bedfordshire police said: “We are committed to keeping women and girls safe and expect the highest standards of professionalism and integrity from our officers and staff.
“T/Supt Aziz was arrested on the day the allegations were first made in July last year and was immediately suspended. For transparency we referred the matter to an independent force to investigate.”