Met PC avoids jail over drunken pub sexual assault

A Metropolitan Police officer who sexually assaulted a woman by drunkenly groping her in a pub has been handed a 12-month community order.

PC Jason Capery, 34, put his hand on the woman's bottom and "repeatedly squeezed" it during the incident which took place at a public house in Westminster in January 2025.

The officer, who was based at Charing Cross police station at the time, pleaded guilty to one count of sexual assault.

At Westminster Magistrates' Court on Friday, Deputy District Judge Richard Hawgood said the offence was "so serious that it does cross the custody threshold".

The court heard that the victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was in conversation with someone when she "became aware of the defendant to her right-hand side".

Prosecutor Rhianne Neil said the defendant had his hand on her bottom and "repeatedly squeezed it".

The court heard the incident lasted for around one minute and the woman, who was known to PC Capery, was "shocked" and "didn't say anything to the defendant or anyone else".

In a victim impact statement, she described the 34-year-old as being "drunk, inappropriate and vulgar" from the moment she arrived at the venue.

"He repeatedly violated my boundaries," she said. The victim said that PC Capery, of Surbiton, "swore on oath to uphold the law and failed to do so".

Andrew Frymann, representing the officer, provided the judge with various character references.

He told the court that these spoke of how PC Capery was of "good character" and was "a very hard-working, diligent and on occasion gallant serving Metropolitan Police officer".

Sentencing him, Judge Hawgood said: "It's quite clear that in drink, as demonstrated by what happened [in January of last year], you are not the sort of person that maybe your colleagues, members of family, etc. know."

The judge said the victim had to carry an "emotional burden", adding: "She had to carry that burden as well as the fact that you violated her in the way that the facts made clear."

He added that as a serving police officer, his behaviour and conduct was "utterly and completely unacceptable and inappropriate".

"It's going to be extremely difficult for you to rehabilitate your previous good character and that is going to be something that will haunt you very much in the years ahead, if not the rest of your life," he added.

"I say that your offending as undertaken by a serving police officer is so serious that it does cross the custody threshold - there's no debate about that whatsoever."

The judge said, however, that he was "prepared to avoid custody" and sentenced the defendant to a 12-month community order.

Capery was also ordered to complete 25 rehabilitation activity requirement days and 150 hours of unpaid work and has also been ordered to pay a surcharge of £114.

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