Met Police Officer Jailed for Sexually Assaulting Colleague

A Metropolitan Police officer, Sijanta Thapa, 32, has been sentenced to 21 months in prison for sexually assaulting a female colleague in 2020. The incident occurred when Thapa, after a drinks party, crept into the victim's bedroom and crawled into her bed.

Thapa sexually assaulted the officer after a gathering at a mutual friend's house on October 3, 2020. The victim had agreed to let Thapa stay at her home to avoid a long taxi ride. She went to sleep in her room, expecting Thapa to leave later. However, she awoke to find him 'spooning' her from behind. Later, she awoke again to find Thapa fondling her bare breast and squeezing her nipple, having unbuttoned her dress and pushed aside her bra. The victim pushed him away and ordered him out of the room, after which Thapa left the flat.

In a statement to the court, the victim stated that the attack had shattered her 'sense of safety' and that she felt 'punished' at work after reporting the assault in 2023. She detailed experiencing traumatic nightmares and a complete lack of safety, particularly at home, requiring counseling and trauma therapies.

Sentencing Thapa at Woolwich Crown Court, Judge Alice Robinson noted his lack of remorse and continued denial of the offense, emphasizing that the assault was not minor. The judge also referenced a misconduct panel's finding that Thapa had groped another woman's breasts outside London's Heaven nightclub in January 2024.

In the 2024 incident, the woman had danced with Thapa and briefly kissed him before he led her to a bench, pulled her onto his lap, and placed his hands on her breasts. CCTV footage captured the groping incident. The victim, who was crying and distressed, told police she felt terrible, stating, "An unknown male grabbed my boobs when I didn't want him to." Heaven security intervened and detained Thapa, who insisted the incident was consensual.

Thapa, formerly of the Met’s Central West command unit, quit the force in July, before he could be formally dismissed following the misconduct hearing. He had also faced criminal prosecution for the 2024 incident, but that case was abandoned at trial. The Metropolitan Police declined to comment on the case.