A police officer was ordered to register as a sex offender yesterday after pleading guilty to the assault and indecent assault of a woman.

Robert McClenaghan (43) spoke only to enter his guilty pleas during a brief hearing at Hereford Crown Court.

The constable, based in Telford, Shropshire, was bailed to an address in Blackpool, Lancashire, and ordered to appear for sentence at Wolverhampton Crown Court on September 22.

Four other charges against the defendant - two of rape, one of indecent assault and one of attempted indecent assault - are expected to be allowed to lie on the file.

The guilty pleas came after an inquiry managed by the Independent Police Complaints Commission, into allegations made against McClenaghan, who was suspended from duty by West Mercia Constabulary in June last year.

In a statement released by the IPCC, the watchdog's West Midlands Commissioner, John Crawley, said: "We are aware of the outcome of the hearing at Hereford Crown Court. The IPCC will now discuss with the force whether there are misconduct issues to be considered against this officer.

"Once our deliberations are concluded and we have agreed matters with the force, we will provide further information on the outcome."