A former British Airways cabin crew worker has been convicted of sexually assaulting a colleague at his home in Bracknell.
Amardip “Amo” Dhariwal, 55, of Derley Road, Southall, was unanimously found guilty by an 11-person jury of one count of sexual assault by penetration at Reading Crown Court on Tuesday.
The verdict followed a nine-day trial.
Dhariwal, who was working as an in-flight cabin crew lead for British Airways at the time of the offence, had invited the woman, who was in her twenties, to his home in Bracknell in May 2022.
Thames Valley Police said the pair had spent the evening socialising before the woman fell asleep on a sofa.
She awoke the following morning to find Dhariwal sexually touching her without her consent, the force said.
Police said the woman did not confront him because she was fearful of how he might react and instead waited until he stopped and went upstairs before leaving the property.
She then called a friend for help and later reported the incident to police.
Dhariwal was charged in May 2024.
A previous trial at Reading Crown Court, held in May last year, ended with the jury unable to reach a verdict, leading to a retrial.
Dhariwal was also previously charged with alleged offences involving two other female British Airways cabin crew members in Singapore in 2020 and Kuala Lumpur in 2018.
Those charges were later discontinued because the Crown Prosecution Service did not have jurisdiction to prosecute alleged offences which took place outside England and Wales.
However, evidence from the two women was heard during the trial as bad character evidence, which the jury was entitled to consider when assessing Dhariwal’s propensity to commit the offence.
Dhariwal was released on conditional court bail and is due to be sentenced at Reading Crown Court on 29 October.
Detective Constable Clare Hickman, the investigating officer, praised the women involved in the case.
“I would like to commend the courage of the victim in coming forward to report this offence and for remaining engaged throughout the investigation and court process,” she said.
“I also commend the strength and integrity of the two other women who supported this case by providing bad character evidence in the interests of justice.
“All three women have shown remarkable resilience, courage, and dignity throughout.
“I hope this conviction provides them with a sense of justice and supports them as they continue to move forward with their lives.”
