A man from Acton will stand trial for rape after entering a not guilty plea at a court hearing.

Troy Benjamin is accused of carrying out the sex attack at Margravine Cemetery in Hammersmith on June 4 .

He formally denied a single charge at Isleworth Crown Court on Monday (July 4) at a plea and trial preparation hearing.

The 36-year-old, who gave his address as Shakespeare Road, W3, will now stand trial, which is due to begin on November 14.

He was remanded in custody.

In a separate matter last week, police appealed for help tracking a violent sex offender who had fled a mental health unit in Hammersmith.

Vitalij Kovaliov was on escorted leave from the Claybrook Centre in Claybrook Road when he gave staff the slip.

He has since been linked to a string of offences in the Chiswick area, which included attacking an eight-year-old and exposing himself and racial abuse.