West Yorkshire police officer pleads guilty to sexual assault of woman in Leeds bar

Lee Parker, who resigned from the police force while he was under investigation, also admitted grabbing and kissing a female member of the public on the same night, the force said. According to WYP, Parker, 40, was sentenced at Manchester Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday after pleading guilty at an earlier hearing to two counts of sexual assault on a female and one count of outraging public decency.

He was sentenced to 32 weeks in prison, suspended for two years, and put on the Sex Offenders Register for 10 years. Parker was also ordered to pay a £250 fine for each of the victims, the force said.

WYP said Parker worked as constable based at Operational Support before he resigned. A force spokesman said the offences all occurred on December 14, 2021, while Parker was in a Leeds bar on a night out. He said the sexual assaults “relate to him grabbing and kissing a female member of the public and slapping the bottom of another” and “he also exposed himself to members of the public”.

A misconduct hearing will be held to determine whether Parker would have been dismissed if he was still employed as an officer. The force said that could result in him being added to the Barred List.

Detective Chief Superintendent Nicola Bryar, head of West Yorkshire Police’s Professional Standards Directorate, said: “This officer’s actions fell well below what we expect of our employees on and off duty. I am pleased that these victims have reported these offences to the police so that they could be investigated. No-one should expect or accept being violated in this way on a night out.”

Ms Bryar said: “We are committed to protecting women and girls from violence and sexual violence, and suspended this officer from duty as soon as we became aware that a police officer was involved. If anyone has been a victim of a sexual assault, I would urge them to please report it. We have specialist officers in safeguarding units across the county who are experienced in investigating these offences and supporting victims.”