A former police constable has been cleared of sexually assaulting a woman by “back-handing” her in her private parts.
Daniel Gentles was found not guilty at Warwick Crown Court on Wednesday after jurors deliberated for three hours.
The 22-year-old was accused of assaulting the woman “out of the blue” in 2023, and then using his mobile phone to show her a cartoon meme of a man hitting a woman in similar circumstances.
Mr Gentles, then aged 19, denied sexually assaulting the woman, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, over her clothing during a shift in Warwickshire, prosecutor Matthew Barnes told the trial.
Mr Barnes said that around a week after the incident, Mr Gentles had contacted the victim on a social media platform to apologise for his actions and wrote words similar to “I thought it was a joke and you would do it back”.
When he was interviewed under caution by police in November 2023, the court heard, Mr Gentles admitted being “immature” by swinging his right hand towards the woman, hitting her private parts, and showing her a meme on his phone.
Under cross-examination from defence barrister Sharon Bahia, the woman was asked if the incident “took on a life of its own” after a third party reported it to police, and she had then exaggerated her account.
The complainant replied: “Absolutely not.”
Judge Matthew Walsh told Mr Gentles that he was free to leave the dock at around midday on Wednesday after the jury of six men and six women returned their not guilty verdict.
The judge thanked the jury for their time, adding: “You go with our thanks.”
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