Former Met officer jailed for sexually assaulting sleeping colleague at her home
Sijanta Thapa, a former Metropolitan Police officer, has been jailed for sexually assaulting a colleague in her home while she slept. The case has renewed scrutiny of his conduct after a separate misconduct hearing found he had groped another woman in 2024.
The assault took place in October 2020, after the colleague let Thapa stay at her flat following a party. She woke to find him beside her, then discovered he had unbuttoned her dress and touched her breast; she pushed him away and told him to leave. Thapa was sentenced to 21 months in prison at Woolwich Crown Court. He resigned from the Met in July 2025 before a misconduct hearing could consider dismissing him; the separate 2024 incident was captured on CCTV, but its criminal case was abandoned at trial.
- Former Met officer Sijanta Thapa was jailed for 21 months.
- He assaulted a colleague while she slept in 2020.
- A separate 2024 groping incident led to a misconduct finding.
New here? Start with this
The Metropolitan Police, often called the Met, is the force responsible for policing most of London. Police officers can face criminal proceedings as well as internal misconduct hearings, which examine whether their behaviour meets the standards required of the job.
Sijanta Thapa was a Met officer when he stayed at a colleague’s home after a party in 2020. The case also drew attention to a separate incident in 2024 involving another woman, which was considered at an internal misconduct hearing after the criminal case was abandoned at trial.
The distinction matters because a criminal court decides whether someone is guilty of an offence, while a misconduct hearing considers their conduct as a police officer. Thapa resigned before the Met hearing could consider whether to dismiss him.
Read the full article at the source →
Originally published by Daily Mail as “Met Police officer, 32, who crept into colleague’s room while she slept, started undressing her and sexually assaulted her is jailed”.