Former Met Officer Gurpal Virdi Denies Sexually Assaulting Teenage Boy in Police Van

A former Met Police officer has denied sexually assaulting a teenage boy while he was detained in a police van.

Gurpal Virdi, an ex-detective sergeant and current Labour election candidate, is accused of assaulting the 15-year-old while they travelled together in the police vehicle in 1986.

Virdi, 55, also denied an allegation of misconduct in a public office over the same incident, said to involve a telescopic truncheon, when he appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court.

He will stand trial at Southwark Crown Court in July 2015 to face the allegations and was released on bail.

Virdi retired from the force in 2012 after more than 30 years of service. He now serves as an independent councillor in Hounslow, west London.

During his time in the Met Police, he was involved in a number of disputes with the force. He was awarded compensation on three separate occasions over racial discrimination and a further claim he was passed over for promotion because of previous legal action against the Met.