Two former West Yorkshire officers charged with child rape, indecent assault

Two former West Yorkshire Police officers, Ian Hopkinson and William Baker, have appeared in court charged with multiple counts of rape and indecent assault of a girl under 16, allegedly committed between 1992 and 1995 while serving in the force's mounted horse section in Pontefract. The charges were brought after a woman reported being the victim of serious sexual offences in 2023, leading to a police investigation and the arrest of both men in June 2024. Hopkinson faces five counts each of indecent assault and rape, while Baker is charged with three counts of indecent assault and two counts of rape. A third former officer, also arrested as part of the investigation, has since died with no suspicious circumstances reported. Both men were released on conditional bail, prohibited from contacting the alleged victim, unsupervised contact with children under 18, and from contacting each other. They are scheduled to appear at Leeds Crown Court on June 4.