The alleged incident took place in 2021, where it is claimed that PS Sharma touched the woman’s thigh and exposed his penis to her. Since the incident, PS Sharma has left the police force.
Another individual involved in the case is James Senior, a former Detective Chief Inspector at Thames Valley Police. It is alleged that Senior attempted to dissuade the victim from reporting the incident, telling her there was no evidence, witnesses, or CCTV footage. He reportedly suggested that she should consider the potential impact on their careers and advised her to “go home and sleep on it.” Senior was responsible for heading a scheme to combat sexual harassment.
Further allegations have emerged regarding Senior’s conduct. It is claimed that he informed PS Sharma about the allegations on the same night, potentially giving him an opportunity to destroy evidence. The two individuals were said to have exchanged WhatsApp messages on July 30 and July 31, 2021, which were subsequently deleted before PS Sharma’s interview on August 1, 2021.
Additionally, Senior is accused of providing a misleading witness statement by claiming he did not recall the woman mentioning PS Sharma’s inappropriate behavior and failing to highlight the existence of the WhatsApp messages. The content of these messages is alleged to be “grossly offensive, derogatory, discriminatory, and misogynistic.”
Both PS Sharma and DCI Senior have left their respective police forces, and they now face a misconduct hearing scheduled to begin on July 12. The Metropolitan Police will conduct the hearing to investigate the allegations against the two former officers
