Former police officers PS Sharma and Detective Chief Inspector James Senior are facing a disciplinary hearing following serious sexual harassment allegations dating back to 2021. The case involves claims that Sharma groped a woman’s thigh and exposed himself during the incident.
PS Sharma resigned from the police force amid the scandal. Meanwhile, DCI Senior, who previously led an initiative against sexual harassment, is accused of attempting to cover up the incident and intimidate the victim. Reports indicate that Senior discouraged the victim from reporting the abuse, stating there was no evidence, no witnesses, and no CCTV footage. He also warned about the potential impact on their careers and urged her to “go home and sleep on it.”
Further allegations suggest that Senior alerted Sharma about the complaint on the night it was filed, possibly allowing Sharma time to delete evidence. The two exchanged WhatsApp messages on July 30 and 31, 2021, which were deleted prior to Sharma’s interview on August 1. These messages reportedly contained “grossly offensive, derogatory, discriminatory, and misogynistic” content.
Senior is also accused of submitting a misleading witness statement in which he denied recalling the victim mentioning Sharma’s misconduct and concealed the WhatsApp messages. Both men have since left their positions within the police force.
The Metropolitan Police has scheduled a misconduct hearing beginning on July 12 to thoroughly investigate the allegations against the former officers.
Originally published by UKNIP.
