West Midlands Police officer charged with rape; wife charged with sex assault

Dec 24 2009 by Edward Chadwick, Birmingham Mail

THE wife of a West Midlands Police officer has appeared in court charged with the supply and possession of cannabis.

Joanne Clarke, aged 48, entered no plea at Redditch Magistrates Court and was remanded on bail until next year.

Clarke, along with husband Sgt Nicholas Clarke, aged 48, is also charged with sex offences relating to alleged incidents at their home in Beacon Hill, Rubery.

She is charged with sexual assault and her husband is charged with rape on the same adult female, who cannot be named.

The charges relate to an alleged incident between June 26 and June 29 this year.

Mrs Clarke is alleged to have had 105 grams of cannabis in her possession and the supply charges are in connection with the “social sharing of an inhaler”, an earlier hearing was told.

The pair are due to appear at Worcester Crown Court on February 15 to enter pleas to the sex offences.

On Tuesday Mrs Clarke was bailed until January 21 when she will appear at Redditch Magistrates Court to answer the drugs charges.

Both are on bail, with the condition that they do not contact any witnesses.

Sgt Clarke is employed at the force’s Lloyd House headquarters and his wife is believed to be a supervisor at a West Midlands Police call centre.

The couple have both been suspended until the conclusion of the case.

West Midlands Police has launched an investigation after referring the case to the Police Complaints Commission.