Man jailed for eight years after sex assault

A man convicted of sexually assaulting a woman who awoke to find him touching her without consent has been jailed for eight years.

Amardip Dhariwal, 55, was found guilty in September of assaulting the woman at his Bracknell home after they spent a night socialising in May 2022.

His victim pretended she was still asleep as the assault concluded, fearing how Dhariwal would react on being disturbed. But once it was over, she fled, called a friend for help and later reported him to the police.

Dhariwal, from Southall, west London, was found guilty of one count of sexual assault by penetration after a trial at Reading Crown Court.

A previous trial ended in a hung jury and led to a retrial.

Dhariwal, who worked for British Airways as an in-flight cabin crew lead, was jailed last Thursday. Thames Valley Police (TVP) released details of the sentencing on Tuesday.

Det Con Clare Hickman, from TVP, said: "This sentence reflects the seriousness of the offender's actions and is a positive outcome following the investigation.

"I would like to commend the victim for her courage and resilience throughout the criminal justice process.

"We take reports of sexual offences extremely seriously and will always seek to support victims and bring those responsible to justice."

Dhariwal was earlier charged with other offences, including two counts of rape against two other women, in Singapore and Kuala Lumpur.

Those were dropped as the Crown Prosecution Service did not have jurisdiction to prosecute him for them.

But the women's testimonies were heard during the trial as bad character evidence against Dhariwal.