Serving officer admits sexual assault
An officer has pleaded guilty to sexual assault during an off-duty incident in December 2022.
Detective Constable Jose Poonsawat, attached to the Metropolitan Police Service’s (MPS) Central South Command Unit, was accused of “sexually touching a woman without her consent”.
He appeared at Croydon Magistrates’ Court on Friday (July 12) and pleaded guilty sexual assault. Det Con Poonsawat was released on court bail to appear for sentencing on Friday, August 23.
The MPS said the charges followed “a thorough investigation” by the force.
It added: “He was accused of sexually touching a woman without her consent during an off-duty incident on December 16, 2022, and was investigated by the officers from Bromley, and the Met’s Domestic Abuse and Sexual Offences team. This sits within our Directorate of Professional Standards.”
Commander Seb Adjei-Addoh, who leads policing in Lambeth and Southwark, said: “My thoughts are with the victim who has displayed courage in reporting this sexual assault.
“Officers are quite rightly held to account for wrongdoing by the courts.
“In this case DC Poonsawat has pleaded guilty and now awaits sentencing.”
Now that criminal proceedings have concluded, the misconduct process will commence, the MPS said.