Brighton: Officer jailed for sexually assaulting woman on stag do

Laurence Knight, 34, was convicted of sexual assault at Southwark Crown Court

A Metropolitan Police officer who sexually assaulted a woman in the sea during his stag do has been jailed.

Laurence Knight, 34, met the woman, a stranger, in Brighton city centre in July 2021.

The pair headed to the beach before ending up in the water, where the assault took place, the court heard.

Knight, who was a serving officer at the time, was sentenced to two years imprisonment after a trial at Southwark Crown Court.

In her police interview, the victim told officers Knight wanted to go into the sea and she did not want to but he persuaded her, telling her "it was his stag night, he was meant to be having fun but it was turning into a rubbish night".

The court heard how the victim said she "repeatedly" told Knight to "stop" when sexual activity started taking place, and reminded him that he was "getting married in two weeks".

The victim reported the incident to police later the same day.

The court heard that Knight, of Leyton, east London, tried to contact the victim over Facebook days later but then deleted the message because he became worried that his fiancée would see it.

He was charged with rape and sexual assault following the incident and denied both charges.

'Selfish reasons'

He was previously found not guilty of rape but convicted of sexual assault.

As well as being jailed, Knight, who was suspended from duty after his arrest, was also given a restraining order until further notice.

Jayne Cioffi, from the Crown Prosecution Service, said: "As a police officer, Lawrence Knight clearly understood the concept of consent and realised that, without consent, he would be committing a sexual assault, but set what he knew aside for his own selfish reasons.

"He persuaded his victim to go into the water with him and then callously took advantage of a woman he had just met.

"Knight said he had just wanted a bit of last minute fun on his stag night but his actions have had a devastating impact on his victim, and as a police officer, he would have been only too well aware of that."

Follow BBC South East on Facebook, on Twitter, and on Instagram. Send your story ideas to [e-mail].