Metropolitan Police officer cleared of rape charges
Adam Zaman, from Romford, has been cleared of allegations he attacked a woman in a hotel in London
A Metropolitan Police officer has been cleared of rape after prosecutors dropped the case against him.
Pc Adam Zaman, 28, of Kingston Road, in Romford, east London, was accused of raping a woman at the Andaz Hotel in Liverpool Street, central London in October last year.
He denied the allegation and was due to stand trial, but the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) offered no evidence against him at a hearing at the Royal Courts of Justice in London on Thursday.
Pc Zaman was suspended from his post with the Metropolitan Police, which he has held since 2016, when he was charged last year.
CPS lawyers alleged at an earlier hearing that Pc Zaman had shown the woman his warrant card and told her he was an officer when he met her at a club in Romford before they travelled to the hotel together.
They also claimed the woman sent concerned texts to friends and British Transport Police during the journey, and that Pc Zaman showed his warrant card to hotel staff - who were concerned because the woman was intoxicated.
However, at a short hearing before Mrs Justice Cheema Grubb on Thursday, Pc Zaman was cleared of any wrongdoing.
Pc Zaman, who was released on bail in December, did not attend the hearing.
Allison Hunter QC, for the CPS, told the court that "the prosecution have taken a decision to offer no further evidence in this case".
She said she would not go into detailed evidence, but highlighted that the CPS had a duty to "review all matters".
Ms Hunter said there were matters of "significant concern" that when "objectively assessed" alongside representations from Pc Zaman meant that there was no longer a "realistic" prospect of conviction.
The court heard that the complainant had been informed of her "right to review" and Ms Hunter explained that the CPS's decision had been made at the "highest levels".
Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb formally entered a not guilty verdict to the charge of rape.
Pc Zaman's acquittal comes just two days after charges were dropped in another high-profile case, as four men accused over the shooting of black equal rights campaigner Sasha Johnson were cleared on Tuesday.
A CPS spokesperson said: "As part of our continuous review of this case, we have carefully considered material submitted to us by the police and have concluded that our legal test is no longer met.
"We have informed all parties of our decision not to proceed further with this prosecution."
A Met Police spokesperson said: "We are aware of the case against Pc Adam Zaman being dismissed at court.
"A misconduct review will be carried out in due course. Pc Zaman is currently suspended from duty."
Detective Chief Inspector Colin Bishop, from City of London Police, the force which investigated the complaint against Pc Zaman, said: "City of London Police carried out a thorough investigation.
"The decision to discontinue the case was made by the CPS and it would not be appropriate for us to comment any further."