HONG KONG, Nov 27, 2008 (AFP) - A Hong Kong policeman appeared in court Thursday charged with raping a 19-year-old woman when she came to his police station to give details of a theft, broadcasters said Thursday.

The officer surnamed Leung, 29, telephoned the woman on Monday and asked her to report to Mongkok police station to provide more information on a pickpocketing she had reported to another station in early November, Cable TV said.

e took her into a sound-proof room used for identifying suspects where he allegedly raped her, the prosecutor in the case told a court.

The officer offered the woman 100,000 Hong Kong dollars (US$12,820) to drop the case after learning she had reported him to police, the television station reported the prosecutor as saying.

The prosecutor added that the defendant had admitted downloading from the internal police system information on many young woman who had reported crimes, broadcaster RTHK said.