A sex pest blamed slippery shoes after grabbing a female police officer’s vagina as he walked past. Darren McCalman pushed himself against the officer, held her waist, and touched her genitals over her uniform while she was on a callout for an unrelated matter to supported accommodation in South London on December 19 last year, Croydon Magistrates’ heard on Thursday (April 4).
The 47-year-old, of Norwood Road in Lambeth, complimented the officer on her tattoos before saying ‘You should get naked so I can see the rest of you’, prosecutor Rachel Hunter told the court. Then, while she was standing at the bottom of the stairs, he pushed himself into her as he walked past, put his hand on her waist, and ‘cupped her vagina over her clothing’, the court heard.
After he was arrested for the brazen sexual assault, McCalman tried to shift the blame onto his footwear, claiming he had just fallen over. “He said he was walking downstairs in old sliders. He said he tripped and tried to steady himself and fell into the victim at the bottom of the stairs,” said Ms Hunter.
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McCalman denied a single count of sexual assault and a trial was fixed for February this year, but, after some advice from his barrister, he changed his pleas on the day of the trial, admitting his clumsy tumble had, in fact, been an unsolicited fumble.
Defence counsel Chloe Lennon stressed her client had no relevant previous convictions as she called for a community order. “He’s never done anything like this before. Before this hearing, he’s told me he’s very remorseful and wishes it had not happened,” she said.
Ms Lennon also explained McCalman was supported by homeless charity St Mungo’s, and he could lose his home if the sentence was too harsh. She also asked for the magistrates to take account of McCalman’s ADHD, depression, and back pain, which stops him from working.
“His hip and back issues may have contributed to his behaviour on the day,” argued Ms Lennon.
‘Somewhat deliberate act’
But the magistrates were not persuaded to reduce the length of the sentence as they slapped him with a 10 month community order and 15 rehabilitation days.
McCalman leaned against the glass dock as the lead magistrate told him: “As you are probably aware, these offences are serious. There was a pre-amble before this offence, and the bench considers it was a somewhat deliberate act.”
McCalman will also pay £200 in compensation, £300 in trial costs, and a £114 victim surcharge, to come out of his £700-a-month disability benefits at a rate of £20 per month. He was spared the sex offenders register, as a minimum of a 12 month community order is needed for automatic entry.
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