An engaged Met Police detective groped a female colleague down her top at the Christmas party – before shaking her hand when she reminded him about his fiancée.
Detective Inspector Jonathan Kent placed his hands on the officer’s bottom and intimate areas after they danced at trendy Sway Bar in Holborn, central London, on December 12, 2019.
A police tribunal panel in London today was told the pair had hugged and kissed after leaving the dancefloor together before the woman – who cannot be named – reminded Kent of his ‘fiancée and children’.
DI Kent (formerly at the Met Police Central West Command Unit) admits that he has breached professional conduct standards regarding authority, respect, and politeness.
However, he maintains these violations were misconduct and not gross misconduct.
He also says he believed that ‘at all times’, and ‘reasonably so’, the complainant, who is known only as Officer A, consented to the touching.
She was scheduled to present evidence privately this afternoon in the disciplinary hearing of Met Police.
Addressing Kent, panel chair Darren Snow said: ‘You touched Officer A more than once on her bottom and at the front over her clothing and placed your hand on her breasts under her top.’
Met Detective Inspector Jonathan Kent placed his hand on the officer’s bottom at the event
Both of them danced at the trendy Sway bar in Holborn (central London) on 12/12/2019
Peter Taheri was the counsel for the competent authority and told the panel that the female officers did not consent to touching.
Referring only to CCTV footage, Mr Taheri claimed that Kent and Officer A danced together.
He explained ‘She walks away from him. See his right-hand touching Officer A’s bottom.’
The panel heard that they have further interactions inside, and then they leave the dance floor together.
Mr Taheri added: ‘He puts his hand on her back as they walk out the building initially to the smoking area but then they make their way around the side.
‘They have a hug. As they hugged, I could see Kent placing his bottom on hers.
‘After the hug she moves slightly away and I can see with his right hand he grabs her top…pulling her top towards him. He can’t stop her from moving.
‘He reaches for the top again.’
You can find the International Dispute Resolution Centre, central London for the misconduct hearing
Following a submission gesture in which he raised his hands, Mr Taheri said that there was another hug.
He added: ‘While there is a hug, he puts his hand on her bottom again.
‘She has stepped back. He has a little distance now that she’s placed her hand on it.
‘He reaches for her top again, pulls her top again. To stop him from slipping her top, she is holding onto her top.
‘She has given him a little punch in the chest.’
Following this, Officer A reaches out to shake Kent’s hand.
Mr Taheri went on: ‘Mr Kent with his left hand, while shaking her hand with his right hand, reaching and grabbing another intimate area over her clothing.
‘She then takes his hand and moves it slightly away from her private parts.’
Mr Taheri added: ‘What the appropriate authority will say that happens is that Mr Kent’s hand goes down her top although she tries to stop it going in…the hand does go in and touches her breast.
‘We then see his hands going behind his back and her then stepping back albeit in a somewhat unsteady manner.
‘He moves forward but she puts both hands out in front of her, effectively to block him from moving any further forward.’
Another hug, another kiss.
‘After the kiss she moves back and I can see there…there is a clear hand movement, two from side to side, arms outwards indicating no, which the appropriate authority says is consistent with the officer’s evidence…reminding him of his fiancée and his children.
‘It ends with a friendly shake of hands.’
They both walk back in to the club and he gives her a tap on the bottom.
According to Mr Taheri, he said: “She comes up to him and speaks in his ears.
‘She then turns away, looks towards the people she was with… and one need not be a talented lip reader to guess what she says… she appears to mouth the word ‘f***’,’ Mr Taheri added.
At the International Dispute Resolution Centre (central London), continues the hearing.