TWO Surrey policemen accused of raping a hairdresser after they drove her home in their squad car face a retrial because a jury was unable to reach a verdict.

Pc Andrew Lang of Overdale Walk, Whitehill, and his colleague Pc Mark Witcher, both 30, are alleged to have raped and indecently assaulted the woman after picking her up when she was assaulted outside a nightclub.

They had been accused of attacking the 23-year-old mother of three in the living room of her home in Godalming.

The two Surrey officers were released on bail by a judge at Winchester Crown Court when a jury of nine men and three women failed to reach verdicts on the four charges last Friday.

The retrial will take place at the same court next year.

The jury was discharged by judge the Hon Mr Justice Charles Gray on the 14th day of the trial after they had deliberated for 17 hours.

Witcher and Lang, who was brought up in Passfield, had each earlier been con-victed of three charges of misconduct in a public office following the incident in the early hours of September 20 last year.

Each was unanimously convicted of one charge of "harming the public interest" by having sex with a potential witness and victim of assault.

They were also convicted, by a majority of 10-2, of one charge each relating to their failure to record the nightclub assault against the woman.

Lang was convicted by a majority of 10-2 of one charge in relation to falsely stating on his police radio that he was engaged in an area search while he was actually having sex.

Meanwhile Witcher was convicted of misconduct, by the same majority, for failing to correct Lang's deception.

The officers, who were based at Guildford, had denied all the charges.

They will be sentenced for the misconduct offences after the retrial.

University-educated Lang and married Witcher, of Station Road, Drayton, are currently suspended from duty.

A Surrey police spokesman said disciplinary proceedings against the two officers would now begin.