A BOLTON police officer who denies picking up a prostitute and taking her back to his police station for sex has appeared in court.

PC Gary Hart, aged 33, of Westhoughton, is accused of two counts of soliciting a woman for the purposes of prostitution.

The married officer works at the traffic unit in Castle Street, Bolton

Hart, who appeared before magistrates in Oldham for a pre-trial review, has been suspended from duty and an investigation is being carried out by Greater Manchester Police's internal inquiries department.

A trial date has been fixed for March 22-23 and the officer has been on bail.

Hart has been a serving police officer for the last six years and was arrested on August 11 following a complaint from a woman.