Met PCSO sexually assaulted colleague by hugging her and kissing her neck

A Metropolitan Police community support officer was convicted of sexually assaulting a much younger colleague after he kissed her on the neck.

Edward Oniba repeatedly asked for his victim’s number, hugged her despite her refusals and then kissed her neck without her consent.

This all happened while the woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was working at a police station in north west London in 2020.

Harrow Crown Court heard Oniba met the victim in a small corridor outside the staff underground gym a week before.

He asked the woman if she was married, said ‘all the good-looking females are usually taken’ and told her he would ‘check her out’ when she walked past.

He also said she did not need to use the gym because she looked good already.

Seven days later, the woman went to the gym at around 7.45pm to work out before her night shift. As she was going in, Oniba was finishing his own session.

Prosecutor Peter Rouch KC said: ‘When the defendant saw her, he took off his headphones and began talking to her.

‘He asked her for her telephone number. She said her partner would not like that. He then took out his phone and repeatedly asked her. She repeated she wouldn’t give him her telephone number.

‘As they were talking the defendant was gradually getting closer to her. He then asked her if have a hug, which made her feel very awkward.

‘She said “no, I’m very sweaty”, he said “don’t worry, I am too.”

‘He hugged her. She patted his back (so as to tell him to let her go) and then he kissed her on the neck.’

Oniba, of Nightingale Avenue, Harrow, denied kissing her neck but said he ‘paid her a compliment’ and insistently told the jury she was a ‘pretty girl’.

‘She was laughing, and I thought I had a good chance because she told me her name and I got to know how long she had been in the job,’ he added.

He went on claim he decided to stop advancing on the woman after learning she had a partner, arguing the hug was part of his ‘quick exit’.

A jury found him guilty of one count of sexual assault and the City of Westminster Magistrates’ Court sentenced him to a 12-month community order, 100 hours of unpaid work and put him on the sex offenders’ register for five years.

He is currently suspended from the force but will face a disciplinary hearing soon.

Chief superintendent Dan Knowles, said: ‘I am absolutely appalled by PCSO Oniba’s completely inappropriate behaviour, which has absolutely no place in the Met.

‘No one should be subject to sexual assault, especially in their place of work.I would like to thank the victim for coming forward and speaking up about her colleague’s unacceptable behaviour.

‘PCSO Oniba has been convicted and will now face the consequences.’

Just yesterday, it was revealed less than 1% of more than 1,500 officers and other police workers facing complaints over their treatment of women were fired over a six-month period.

The data showed 524 complaints were made by members of the public against 867 staff working in police forces in England and Wales, between October 2021 and March 2022.

Some 290 of these cases have now been resolved, with 91% resulting in no further action and no one was sacked.

Over the same time period, a further 672 police officers or staff faced conduct cases relating to violence against women and girls.

This included allegations such as sexual harassment, discreditable conduct not in the execution of their duty, and sexual assault.

As a result of these investigations – with 167 resolved so far – 13 officers and staff have been sacked.

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