Three Surrey Police officers have been served with misconduct notices as part of an investigation into the force’s handling of a rapist who stabbed a teenage girl.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) has issued two officers with gross misconduct notices and a third with a misconduct notice as part of its investigation into the force’s contact with Costica Voedes prior to the attack.

From January: Rapist Costica Voedes sentenced to 22 years imprisonment for stabbing and sexually attacking teenager

Voedes, from Epsom High Street, was jailed for 22 years last month after attacking a terrified teenager in June last year.

The 32-year-old had been arrested on suspicion of raping another woman and released on bail prior to the shocking attack in Pizza Hut in Waterloo Road, Epsom, and nearby Court Recreation Ground.

The investigation by the IPCC – the body which oversees the police complaints system in England and Wales and which sets the standards for how the police handles complaints – remains ongoing.

A spokesman said: “As part of our investigation, two Surrey Police officers have been served with gross misconduct notices and one with a misconduct notice.

“The serving of these notices does not imply guilt but notifies the officers that their actions are under investigation and the level of severity.”

A Surrey Police spokeswoman stated: “Surrey Police continues to cooperate with the ongoing IPCC investigation.”