A Metropolitan Police officer has been sacked after a misconduct panel found he sexually assaulted and attempted to rape a female colleague.
PC George Leigh tried to force himself on the woman after she said “no” and told him to “stop”, and later sent her a message saying: “I feel you have every right to hate me.”
The two officers had exchanged “flirty” messages and kissed consensually during a meeting at Leigh’s home in October 2020.
But a misconduct panel found the officer went on to sexually assault his colleague and attempt to force her into oral sex.
“She only consented to kissing and said ‘No’ and ‘Stop’ from the time that (Leigh) placed his hand under her blouse and touched her breast over her bra”, the panelconcluded.
“She also repeatedly pushed against (him) as he escalated the sexual activity further indicating that she was not consenting to an escalation in sexual activity beyond kissing.
“In light of her behaviour, the Panel finds that (Leigh) could not have reasonably believed that she was consenting to the escalating sexual activity.”
Leigh, who was referred to as Officer A during the misconduct hearing, denied any attempt to force himself on the woman.
The junior officer, who was in a relationship at the time, said he and the woman had engaged in “sexual banter”, they kissed and started to undress on the sofa, and he stopped when she said she did not wish to go any further.
However the panel found that WhatsApp messages after the incident supported the woman’s account that she had been “wronged”, as the tone of their exchanges “changed significantly from being light, humorous and free flowing to flat and serious.”
Leigh, who joined the force in January 2020, was found guilty of gross misconduct after the panel’s findings against him.
Policing colleagues gave character references at the hearing in September, saying he is “well-liked and respected by his peers for his ‘cando’ attitude, empathy and professionalism”, the panel said in its report.
Leigh’s victim was “upset and distressed” in the wake of the incident, and needed to undergo counselling.
The PC was dismissed without notice at a hearing which concluded in late September. The panel’s final report – identifying Leigh for the first time – was published this week.
