A serving senior police officer has appeared in court charged with a sex offence.
Darren McGrath, who worked as a chief inspector for Staffordshire Police, has been charged with sexual assault by penetration against a woman aged 16 or over, alleged to have taken place between 1 July 2015 and 31 July 2016.
At Cannock Magistrates Court on Friday, the 44-year-old, of Stoke-on-Trent, spoke only to confirm his name.
McGrath has been released on bail and is due to appear at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court on 30 November.
He was appointed commander of the Staffordshire Moorlands policing team in 2025.
In a statement, Staffordshire Police said the incident had happened in 2015, and that McGrath was suspended from duty at the start of the investigation.
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