Met police officer guilty of sexually assaulting woman after his stag do
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Version 0 of 1. Sgt Laurence Knight walked with woman to Brighton beachfront before assaulting her in sea A Metropolitan police officer has been found guilty of sexually assaulting a woman in the sea after his stag do. Sgt Laurence Knight, 34, met the woman, a stranger, in Brighton city centre in the early hours of 17 July 2021. Prosecutors said the pair walked to the beach together, stripped down to their underwear and ended up in the sea, where sexual activity took place. Knight, of Leyton, east London, was charged with rape and sexual assault, and denied both charges. The Met suspended him from duty. He was found not guilty of rape by a jury at Southwark crown court after more than seven hours of deliberations. Jurors were not asked whether that verdict was unanimous or a majority decision. He was convicted of sexual assault by a majority of 10 to two. He has been bailed prior to his sentencing hearing at the same court on 28 July. The woman told officers Knight had wanted to go into the sea. She did not, but he had persuaded her, telling her “it was his stag night, he was meant to be having fun but it was turning into a rubbish night”. Jurors heard that the defendant looked as if he were going to cry so the woman agreed, and took off her dress because she did not want it to get wet. Knight went behind her in the water and moved her underwear, which is when the alleged sexual activity took place, the court was told. Jurors heard that the woman said she “repeatedly” told Knight to “stop” and reminded him that he was “getting married in two weeks”. Afterwards, jurors were told that the woman got dressed, told her friend what had happened and called 999. She said a friend of the defendant told her: “Larry wants me to tell you that he’s sorry.” She said she had experienced a range of feelings since that night, including feeling sick and being unable to sleep or eat properly. The court heard that Knight tried to send the woman a Facebook message on 21 July that year, saying: “You are not [the woman] that went for a dip in the sea on Friday whilst her guy friend looked after her bag?” The defendant, who worked for a charity and as a teacher before joining the police, told jurors he had sent the message “to acknowledge I was embarrassed. She was younger, perhaps less mature and she was the one that stepped in and stopped it going any further.” He said he later deleted the message because he became worried his fiancee would see it. |