Met Police sergeant guilty of sexually assaulting woman in sea off Brighton beach on own stag do

A Metropolitan Police officer has been found guilty of sexually assaulting a woman in the sea off Brighton beach while on his own stag do.

Sergeant Laurence Knight, 34, was off-duty when he is said to have met the woman - a stranger - in the early hours of 17 July 2021 while on his stag do in the city centre, whileCovid social distancing rules were still in place.

Prosecutors said the pair walked to the beach together where they stripped to their underwear and ended up in the sea, where sexual activity took place.

Mr Knight, of Leyton, east London, was charged with rape and sexual assault following the incident, and denied both charges. The Met suspended him from duty. He was found not guilty of rape by a jury at Southwark Crown Court following more than seven hours of deliberations on Thursday (29 June).

Jurors were not asked whether that verdict was unanimous or a majority decision. He was convicted of sexual assault by a majority of 10 to two and has been bailed ahead of his sentencing hearing at the same court on 28 July.

The woman had earlier been out for dinner and drinks and was with a friend when they came across a “jovial” group of men who seemed confused about where to go as they were on a night out and the pubs were closing, the court heard.

In her police interview, she told officers that Mr Knight wanted to go into the sea and she did not wish to but he persuaded her, telling her “it was his stag night” and complaining he was having a “rubbish night” and was “meant to be having fun”.

Jurors heard that the defendant looked as though he was going to cry so the woman agreed and took off her dress because she did not want it to get wet. The 34-year-old then moved behind the woman in the water and moved her underwear to one side, which is when the alleged sexual activity took place, the court was told.

Maryam Syed, prosecuting, said that the woman asked the defendant, who the jury heard is sometimes called Larry, “what are you doing” and “you’re getting married in two weeks, just stop”, but he did not reply.

The woman said she “repeatedly” told Mr Knight to “stop” and reminded him that he was “getting married in two weeks”, jurors heard. Afterwards, the woman got dressed, told her friend what had happened and called 999. She claimed a friend of the defendant told her: “Larry wants me to tell you that he’s sorry.”

Ms Syed said Mr Knight and the woman were strangers to each other when they bumped into each other in the early hours in Brighton town centre. She told the court: “[The alleged victim] was with her friends, they were intending to head to the beach area and had been drinking earlier and had bought a bottle of wine and were intending to share it at the seafront.

“The defendant was in Brighton on his stag night. They had been in an Airbnb property and had been visited by strippers, they had then gone out to the bars in the Brighton area. In July 2021, social distancing was still in place – many bars were not open or had closed early.

“The group had been in the course of looking for somewhere to drink, met the group containing [the alleged victim] and indicated they were looking for somewhere to drink. The defendant and his group were complaining about the lack of choice.

“[The alleged victim] suggested that the bars in the beach area might still be open. The two groups ended up walking to the seafront together. As they moved forward they were chatting, the defendant’s group were unfamiliar with the Brighton area.

“As the interaction between the groups continued you will see, because police obtained CCTV, [the alleged victim] was helping them, she was being friendly. At various points she shares a bottle of wine with the defendant and one of his friends. At various points she hugs the defendant and one of his friends. There’s a point that she and the defendant hold hands then stop and continue walking separately.”

The woman said she has experienced a range of feelings since that night, including feeling sick and being unable to sleep or eat properly.

In his evidence to the jury, Mr Knight claimed it was the woman who suggested going into the sea and she who first touched his penis. He said he then touched her vagina for a few seconds, thinking it was consensual, before she made the comment about his imminent wedding and they returned to the shore. He denied he had any intention to penetrate her.

Asked during cross-examination why he went into the sea with her, he replied: “Quite honestly, I quite enjoyed having the attention. It was a very spur-of-the-moment request from her, it was not discussed before.

“Having had some alcohol and being the stag and being the one that everything was deflected towards, I suppose the phrase is ‘peer pressure’.” Asked who the peer pressure was coming from, Knight said: “I may have applied it myself.”

The court heard that he tried to send the woman a Facebook message on 21 July that year, saying: “You are not (the woman) that went for a dip in the sea on Friday whilst her guy friend looked after her bag?”

The defendant, who worked for a charity and as a teacher before joining the police, told jurors he had sent the message “to acknowledge I was embarrassed. She was younger, perhaps less mature and she was the one that stepped in and stopped it going any further.”

He said he later deleted the message because he became worried that his fiancee would see it. He also told jurors his “initial reaction” to his arrest was believing he was being subjected to “an extended prank from the stag do”.

Chief Superintendent Peter Gardner, responsible for Met Detention, said: “Sergeant Knight’s actions are thoroughly reprehensible. It goes without saying that his actions fell far below the standards expected of a Metropolitan Police officer.

“This is another highly concerning incident that will no doubt cause the public to question their trust in police. I want to be clear, we are working hard to weed out officers who are not fit to serve the public and the Commissioner has been unequivocal in his determination to raise standards and improve culture across the Met.

“I want to pay tribute to the victim for her courage in reporting this offence, supporting the Sussex Police investigation and her role in seeing that Sergeant Knight is convicted. I also want to commend the diligent investigation by detectives in Sussex.”