Met Police ‘bravest officer' award winner suspended over alleged sexual assault
A policeman once named the bravest officer in England and Wales has been charged with sexual assault.
Sgt Stephen Brown has been suspended by the Metropolitan Police following the alleged incident at Biggleswade railway station in Bedfordshire in November 2019.
The 47-year-old, who is reportedly a counter-terrorist specialist firearms officer, will appear at St Albans Crown Court on Sept 1.
In 2014, he won a national Police Bravery Award for tackling and disarming a man wielding a samurai sword in north London.
Sgt Brown stepped in to stop the man on Christmas Eve 2012, who had stabbed a woman earlier that evening. The attacker repeatedly swung the sword at his face and neck.
The Met officer discharged his CS spray into the man's face, before quickly moving towards him and striking his arm with a baton three times while the sword was raised in the air.
The man was forced to drop his weapon, with Sgt Brown immediately jumping on top of him to restrain him.
The offender continued to struggle violently before backup officers arrived and he was arrested. Officers later discovered the bag he was carrying contained an arsenal of weapons.
Not guilty plea
Sgt Brown was presented with the bravery award, which is given annually to officers who demonstrate acts of heroism in the course of their duty, by Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe, the then commissioner of the Met Police, at a ceremony in London.
Theresa May, the then home secretary, said: 'The actions of Sgt Stephen Brown are a powerful reminder of the commitment and courage that police officers bring to their role.
'Sgt Brown put his own life in danger to defuse a terrifying situation. His intervention protected the public and may well have saved the lives of others.'
Sgt Brown, from Bedfordshire, appeared at Stevenage magistrates' court in November, when he entered a plea of not guilty to sexual assault.
A Met Police spokesman said: 'We are aware that a serving Met officer has been charged with sexual assault following an alleged incident in November 2019.
'He is currently suspended.'
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