Ex-Met Officer Jailed for Sexual Assault

Sijanta Thapa, who previously served with the Metropolitan Police, has been sentenced to 21 months imprisonment for sexually assaulting a colleague. The offence occurred in October 2020 following a social event at a mutual acquaintance's residence. Thapa had been offered accommodation for the night and was expected to sleep in the living area.

The Assault

Woolwich Crown Court heard that Thapa entered the victim's bedroom while she was sleeping. She initially awoke to find him in bed beside her, with his arm around her. Later, she woke again to discover Thapa touching her chest, having undone part of her clothing. In a statement read to the court, the victim described how the incident had 'shattered her sense of security' and necessitated 'years of counselling and trauma therapy' to address 'traumatic nightmares and complete lack of any sense of safety and security, particularly at home'.

Sentencing and Previous Allegations

Judge Alice Robinson, sentencing Thapa, stated that he showed 'absolutely no remorse' and continued to deny the offence. The judge noted that the assault was 'not a minor sexual assault'. The court was also informed that Thapa resigned from the Metropolitan Police in 2024. This resignation followed a separate allegation of groping a woman at Heaven nightclub in central London. While Thapa was acquitted of that specific offence, a misconduct panel later determined that his account of the incident was not truthful.

The incident at Heaven nightclub involved Thapa reportedly pulling a woman onto his lap and groping her breasts after they had danced and kissed. CCTV footage reportedly captured the groping and the woman's subsequent departure. Thapa left the Metropolitan Police before the conclusion of misconduct proceedings related to the Heaven nightclub allegation.