A senior Foreign Office civil servant has appeared in court and pleaded not guilty to a charge of racially aggravated harassment.

Rowan Laxton, 48, appeared at Westminster magistrates’ court today.

He was charged with using threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour or disorderly behaviour within the hearing or sight of a person likely to be caused harassment, alarm or distress.

Mr Laxton remains suspended from his post as head of the FO’s South Asia desk. He is due to appear in court again in September 9 for an abuse of process hearing.

If the prosecution is successful in that hearing, Mr Laxton will face trial on September 16. If the defence wins, the case will be dropped.