A Metropolitan Police officer has been dismissed without notice after groping a female colleague's bottom for 'sexual gratification' at a work Christmas party. PC Kevin Beedel, who had recently married at the time of the incident, touched his colleague, referred to as 'PC A', during a festive event held at Aldenham Country Park in Hertfordshire.
Incident Details
The panel heard that after PC A tried to get away from Beedel, he followed her and dismissed his actions as 'horseplay'. The assault was witnessed by two colleagues: Sergeant Luu, who claimed the touching was consensual, and PC Grabowski. In her evidence, PC A described Beedel as 'a bit creepy' and said he would sometimes stare at her. She recounted that when Beedel touched her 'left bottom cheek', she responded with something like "don't do that", to which he allegedly replied, "I'm just being friendly."
Culture of Fear
PC A also testified that she had spoken to Sergeant Luu about the incident, who reportedly laughed and called Beedel a 'pervert'. She expressed concerns that 'lad culture' within the team made her fear being 'ostracised' had she reported the assault at the time. The panel accepted that the delay in reporting was reasonable, acknowledging that individuals process traumatic events at different speeds.
Social Media Behaviour
Before the sexual assault, Beedel had liked old photos of PC A on Instagram, including pictures of her in bikinis from years ago. She considered this behaviour 'inappropriate' and suspected something 'sinister' behind it. However, the panel made no finding on this matter.
Panel Decision
The panel determined that imposing a final written warning would not be sufficient to uphold public confidence in and respect for the police service. As a result, PC Kevin Beedel was dismissed without notice. The Met Police have not commented further on the case.
