A 55-year-old Asian British Airways cabin crew manager has been convicted of sexually assaulting a female colleague at his home in Berkshire, south-east England.
Amardip "Amo" Dhariwal was found guilty of one count of sexual assault at Reading Crown Court on Tuesday (1) following a nine-day trial.
Thames Valley Police said the former flight manager has been released on strict conditional court bail and is due to be sentenced at the same court on October 29.
Detective constable Clare Hickman, who investigated the case, praised the victim for coming forward. "I would like to commend the courage of the victim in coming forward to report this offence and for remaining engaged throughout the investigation and court process," she said.
"I also commend the strength and integrity of the two other women who supported this case by providing bad character evidence in the interests of justice, not only for themselves but for one another. All three women have shown remarkable resilience, courage, and dignity throughout."
"I hope this conviction provides them with a sense of justice and supports them as they continue to move forward with their lives," she added.
An 11-member jury unanimously found Dhariwal guilty of the crime, which dates back more than four years. A previous trial in May last year had ended in a hung jury, leading to this week's retrial.
'Bad character evidence'
Court proceedings heard that in May 2022, Dhariwal, then working for British Airways as an in-flight cabin crew lead, invited a colleague, a woman in her twenties, to his home in Bracknell.
After the pair spent the evening socialising, the victim fell asleep on the sofa. She awoke the next morning to find Dhariwal was "sexually touching her without her consent".
Police said the victim did not let Dhariwal know she was awake during the assault. "Fearing how Dhariwal might react if confronted, the victim did not alert him that she was awake during the assault," they stated.
"When Dhariwal stopped and went upstairs, the victim fled the house, calling a friend for help, before reporting the crime to the police. Dhariwal was charged by postal requisition on May 9, 2024," police said.
Dhariwal had also faced two counts of rape and two further counts of sexual assault relating to offences against two other female British Airways cabin crew members, in Singapore in 2020 and in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in 2018.
These charges were later discontinued, however, as the UK Crown Prosecution Service did not have jurisdiction to prosecute offences alleged to have taken place outside England and Wales.
Even so, the two women were heard during the trial as "bad character evidence", which the jury was entitled to consider when assessing Dhariwal's propensity to commit the sexual offence, police noted.
Dhariwal, who claimed the encounters were "consensual", now faces years behind bars under UK sentencing guidelines.
