A serving Metropolitan Police sergeant blamed his Mediterranean Greek background for kissing and pinching the cheek of a female officer in a 'slam-dunk harassment case' reports the daily mail.
Sergeant George Panayi, 48, part of the East Area Command Unit, is accused of kissing his junior colleague on the cheek without her consent while on duty on December 21, 2019.
The female officer told a misconduct hearing on Monday that his actions were 'offensive, demeaning, horrifying'.
A serving Metropolitan Police sergeant blamed his Mediterranean Greek background for kissing and pinching the cheek of a female officer in a 'slam-dunk harassment case'.
Sergeant George Panayi, 48, part of the East Area Command Unit, is accused of kissing his junior colleague on the cheek without her consent while on duty on December 21, 2019.
The female officer told a misconduct hearing on Monday that his actions were 'offensive, demeaning, horrifying'.
However, Alisa Williamson, representing Sgt Panayi, cited his Mediterranean Greek background and said it was a gesture he had grown up with and was meant to act as a 'sign of support, encouragement.
She also argued that the kiss, which occurred in the context of a light-hearted conversation about dating, was 'a peck on a cheek that took place in a van in front of another female colleague' who thought nothing inappropriate had taken place.
The hearing has been adjourned until 10 am on Friday.
