Ex-Met Officer Quits Before Sacking Over Shocking Nightclub Groping
A former Metropolitan Police constable has stepped down ahead of being officially fired after groping a woman at a London nightclub.
PC Sijanta Thapa Caught on CCTV
PC Sijanta Thapa, 31, once part of the Met’s Central West command, was caught on camera pulling a woman onto his lap and grabbing her breasts inside Heaven nightclub, central London, on 16 January 2024. This is the same venue linked to previous allegations involving the disgraced officer.
The victim was left “feeling terrible” and visibly distressed, a misconduct panel found, despite Thapa’s claims the encounter was consensual.
Criminal Charges Dropped but Misconduct Unravelled
Thapa faced sexual assault charges, but the criminal case was dropped before trial. Undeterred, the Met launched an internal probe. A disciplinary panel exposed that the ex-officer lied about what happened to cover up his actions after seeing the CCTV footage.
“An unknown male grabbed my boobs when I didn’t want him to. I immediately felt scared and pushed his hands off me and said no,” the victim told police.
She said she was okay with dancing and a brief kiss earlier but got frightened when Thapa’s behaviour escalated. A friend of the victim said the woman burst into tears afterwards, pleading, “please help me.”
Panel Slams Lies: “He Fabricated a Story”
The misconduct hearing slammed Thapa’s account as a lie, stating:
“The CCTV does not show [the woman] behaving in the manner described by Former PC Thapa, or in a manner which suggests she was giving consent. It is highly likely he made up this false account in an attempt to explain his behaviour.”
The panel labelled his actions “gross misconduct” and confirmed he would have been sacked if he hadn’t already quit in July, just before the verdict.
Police Barring List and Troubled Nightclub History
Though Thapa resigned before formal dismissal, he will now be placed on the national police barring list, permanently banning him from serving in law enforcement again.
This scandal adds to Heaven nightclub’s dark history. The venue’s licence was once suspended after a rape claim involving security staff, and it has faced outcry following security guards assaulting a customer on the street.
