A former Metropolitan Police officer has been jailed for 21 months after sexually assaulting a female colleague who was asleep in her bed following a social gathering.
Sijanta Thapa, 32, was convicted of the assault, which occurred on 3 October 2020 after a drinks gathering at a mutual friend’s home.
As per Daily Mail, Woolwich Crown Court heard that the woman had allowed Thapa to stay at her home to spare him a long journey back in the early hours of the morning. She expected him to sleep in the living room and leave the following day.
Instead, Thapa entered her bedroom during the night and climbed into bed beside her.
The woman initially woke to find him spooning her from behind with his arm around her. Believing he was being friendly after the evening’s gathering, she went back to sleep.
It is reported that she later woke again to discover Thapa touching her breast after he had undone part of her dress and moved aside her bra.
The woman pushed him away and ordered him to leave the room. Thapa subsequently left the flat.
In a victim impact statement, the woman said the assault had destroyed her sense of safety, particularly in her own home, and left her needing counselling and trauma therapy.
“I had to go to counselling and trauma therapies on and off to deal with the traumatic nightmares and complete lack of any sense of safety and security, particularly at home,” she told the court.
The victim also said she felt she had been punished at work after reporting the assault in 2023.
Sentencing Thapa to 21 months in prison last week, Judge Alice Robinson said:
“You show absolutely no remorse and continue to deny the offence. This was not a minor sexual assault.”
The court also heard that Thapa had resigned from the Metropolitan Police in 2024 following a separate incident involving a woman at London’s Heaven nightclub.
It is reported that the woman, a tourist, had danced with Thapa and briefly kissed him before he allegedly pulled her onto his lap and groped her breasts.
She told police that she had been comfortable with dancing and a quick kiss but became frightened when Thapa began touching her breasts without her consent.
CCTV footage captured the encounter and showed the woman moving away from Thapa to find her friends.
The woman was visibly distressed, and one of her friends told the misconduct hearing that she had been crying and repeatedly asking for help.
Thapa maintained that the contact was consensual. He was acquitted of the separate criminal allegation, but a police misconduct panel later concluded that his account of the incident was false. He left the force before the misconduct proceedings were concluded.
Support our Journalism
No-nonsense journalism. No paywalls. Whether you’re in Australia, the UK, Canada, the USA, or India, you can support The Australia Today by taking a paid subscription via Patreon or donating via PayPal — and help keep honest, fearless journalism alive.
