Two Met Police officers spared jail after sexually assaulting lady throughout drunken evening out at London on line casino
Two Metropolitan Police officers who sexually assaulted a woman at a casino were spared jail yesterday, as the judge slammed the force for ‘training issues’.
Jerome Beasley, 43, and Luke Robinson, 40, were off duty, drinking with a sergeant at the Hippodrome in London, when they were caught on CCTV repeatedly touching the woman.
The victim had commented on how small another officer’s hands were, comparing them to her own before the assault, Southwark Crown Court heard.
Beasley, who was standing next to her, said, ‘That’s not how you compare hand sizes’, before squeezing her bottom and groping her left breast. Robinson then also assaulted her.
Mark Gadsden, prosecuting, said the men, who were both constables with the Met’s Central West Command Unit, were ‘egging each other on’ when they carried out the attacks at the venue’s rooftop bar in April 2024.
The victim, who now suffers from PTSD, anxiety and nightmares, said in her impact statement: ‘They repeatedly touched me inappropriately without my consent. You treated me as an object. You continued to touch me again and again.
‘I struggle to go out and enjoy myself. This has damaged my relationship with everyone.’
Robinson, a father of two from Northamptonshire, pleaded guilty to three counts of sexual assault. Beasley, also a father of two, from Brent, north-west London, pleaded guilty to four counts, three relating to the Hippodrome incident and one in January 2020.
Judge Mark Weekes yesterday slammed the Met for ‘training issues’ which led to the officers going out with a sergeant and drinking heavily.
He said: ‘This was misconduct by serving police officers who should set an example rather than disgracing themselves in the way you two did.
‘There is, rightly, grave public concern at the moment [over] the conduct of officers in the Metropolitan Police.
‘Your actions have not only shamed yourselves but have caused embarrassment and frustration to the vast majority of officers who do uphold good standards of behaviour.’
Judge Weekes added: ‘You have betrayed the uniform you both wore – the consequences of that for your family are of your own making.’
It comes after Scotland Yard admitted last week that 131 of its officers committed crimes and misconduct after they were allowed to join the force due to vetting blunders between 2018 and 2022 – including serial rapist David Carrick.
Separate figures obtained by the Daily Mail also showed that two officers who committed sex offences in the mid-2000s are still on the force’s payroll.
Delivering his sentence, Judge Weekes mentioned a documentary released in October, which showed officers at Charing Cross police station calling for immigrants to be shot, revelling in the use of force, and being dismissive of sexual assault claims.
He said: ‘Having watched the BBC Panorama documentary, Mr Robinson appreciates he was involved in some very toxic culture in the workplace.’
And of Beasley, he said: ‘I detect a lot of self-pity, which I don’t find terribly attractive. I accept he has taken some steps to recognise his behaviour.’
Both officers were dismissed from the force last January for gross misconduct. Beasley was yesterday given a 15-month jail sentence, suspended for two years. Robinson was jailed for 13 months, also suspended for two years. Both were ordered to complete 250 hours of unpaid work and 30 hours of rehabilitation activity.
An overnight curfew was also imposed on both men for five months. They were each given a five-year restraining order and told to pay £750 compensation to the victim.
