Met officer ‘grabbed by neck and kissed’ at Notting Hill Carnival as man charged with sexual assault

A feminine officer was grabbed across the neck and kissed and one other “grinded” on by a gaggle of males at Notting Hill Carnival, police have stated.

Metropolitan Police confirmed it’s investigating two incidents of alleged sexual assault in opposition to officers policing the two-day occasion in west London.

Throughout the first incident, an officer was “grabbed across the neck and kissed on the face with out her consent”, the pressure stated.

Florin Matei, 46, from Islington, has since been arrested and charged with sexual assault.

He’ll seem at Westminster Magistrates’ Court docket on 19 September.

In a separate incident, police stated a second feminine officer was “surrounded by a gaggle of males who danced and ‘grinded’ in opposition to her”.

Different officers got here to her help however have been unable to detain the group on the time.

A spokesperson for Metropolitan Police stated: “We’re conscious of two incidents the place feminine officers have been sexually assaulted.

“Within the first incident, an officer was grabbed across the neck and kissed on the face with out her consent.

“Within the second incident, an officer was surrounded by a gaggle of males who danced and ‘grinded’ in opposition to her.

“Different officers got here to her help nevertheless it was not doable to detain the group on the time. An investigation into the incident is ongoing.

“We recognise the influence such offences can have and we are going to present each officers with the assist they want. Neither officer was bodily injured.”

It comes after chairman of the Metropolitan Police Federation, talking about one of many alleged assaults, declared “sufficient is sufficient” and known as for the occasion to be held in an space resembling Hyde Park “the place it may be fenced off, individuals may be managed”.

Ken Marsh instructed LBC: “It’s disgusting. Sexually assaulted by quite a few males throughout the carnival … my ideas exit to that particular person proper now.”

A complete of 74 officers have been injured throughout the two-day occasion, a variety of whom have been assaulted.

The Metropolitan Police Federation stated officers “come below assault” on the occasion annually and “dread policing it”.

Takayo Nembhard, a rapper from Bristol, was stabbed to loss of life on the carnival on Monday night.

The 21-year-old father-to-be had been attending the occasion together with his sister and buddies on the time of the assault, his supervisor stated.

An additional six individuals have been additionally stabbed on the occasion however suffered non-fatal accidents.