Police officer abused three women in one night after they met in the same bar

A police officer sexually harassed three women, including one he said he groped to “distract from her pool photo.”

PC Andrew Wild, 51, attacked the three women on a night out at Osinsky’s Bar & Grill in Hitchin, Hertfordshire, on March 30, 2022. He punched one of the women on the bottom as she bent over a pool table. Wild grabbed the second woman’s bottom as he stood in front of her on the steps in the pub and punched the third on the bottom as they walked from the pub to the train station.

The Hertfordshire police officer, who is a first contact officer dealing with victims of sexual assault, had been drinking spirits and was drunk. Wild denied the charges but was found guilty of three counts of sexual assault by a jury at Southwark Crown Court. He was released on bail ahead of sentencing on September 2.

Prosecutor Maryam Syed previously said the officer had gone for a drink with friends at the Angel Vaults Inn when the group decided to go to another pub. “The group decided to go somewhere else.”

The group were playing pool and the first woman was about to take a shot when Wild attacked her. “She leaned forward and looked at the pool table,” Ms Syed said. “As she leaned forward, the defendant slapped her on the bottom as she leaned away from him.” The incident was captured on CCTV.

The second woman was groped as she walked up the stairs to Osinsky’s ahead of Wild. “The defendant, who is standing behind her, grabs her by both buttocks and squeezes them,” Ms Syed said. The incident with the third woman happened as they walked to Hitchin station.

“He comes and slaps her right buttock.” The first woman said she told Wild, “That was completely unnecessary,” as he slapped her bottom. “It was uncomfortable and unwanted,” she added. “He made me feel uncomfortable. I was in a state of shock. I would describe it as processing what happened.”

Jurors heard that Wild had been upset that night after learning that his mother was terminally ill. During the trial, he wore a black suit and light blue tie and claimed he touched the first woman’s bottom to try and upset her. “I saw it on CCTV, it’s just a guess,” he said.

Wild replied, “From what I saw on the security cameras, that was the only part of her I could reach.” He claimed he could not remember the time he spent with Osinsky because he was so drunk.

“In my 32 years of adulthood, I have never felt the need to touch a woman’s butt,” he added. “I don’t see why that would change that night with a friend.”

“I’ve never done that before. I’ve been drunk many times and I’ve never had the urge to do that.” Wild asked the third woman if she wanted to come to his house “to shag”. He said: “I texted her the next morning to apologise and she accepted my apology.” Wild, from Hitchin, denied the offence but was convicted of three counts of sexual assault.