 A former Metropolitan Police officer who left a woman he met on his stag do 'crying and hyperventilating' after sexually assaulting her in the sea has been jailed. Laurence Knight, 34, had been walking through Brighton city centre with his friends as pubs began to close on July 17, 2021, when they came across the woman and her male friend. While the stag group seemed 'jovial', they were unsure about where to go next and Knight appeared unhappy about the situation, a court heard. According to the woman, Knight wanted to go into the sea and asked her to join him. She later told police he persuaded her by telling her 'it was his stag night, he was meant to be having fun but it was turning into a rubbish night' – and seemed to be on the verge of tears. The woman removed her dress because she did not want it to get wet. Knight entered the water behind the woman and moved her underwear before touching her vagina for several seconds. The woman said she 'repeatedly' told Knight to 'stop' and reminded him that he was 'getting married in two weeks', after which they returned to shore. In court, Knight insisted he believed the touching was consensual, also claiming the woman touched his penis first and was the first to suggest going in the sea. But it was 'immediately clear to her friend as soon as she came out of the sea that something terrible had happened' Jayne Cioffi from the Crown Prosecution Service said after the trial. The woman 'called the police immediately and, when officers arrived at the scene, they found her crying and hyperventilating', Ms Cioffi added. The court heard Knight tried to message the victim on Facebook days later but deleted the message as he was feared his fiancée would see it. Knight was cleared of rape but convicted of sexual assault. The 34-year-old was a serving police officer at the time but left the force after being suspended when the incident came){kind=link}
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A former Metropolitan Police officer who left a woman he met on his stag do ‘crying and hyperventilating’ after sexually assaulting her in the sea has been jailed.
Laurence Knight, 34, had been walking through Brighton city centre with his friends as pubs began to close on July 17, 2021, when they came across the woman and her male friend.
While the stag group seemed ‘jovial’, they were unsure about where to go next and Knight appeared unhappy about the situation, a court heard.
According to the woman, Knight wanted to go into the sea and asked her to join him.