Married City lawyer accused of sexually assaulting barrister outside train station 'has charges dropped
A married City
lawyer who was accused of sexually assaulting a female barrister outside a
London train station will allegedly face no further action.
Graeme
Stening, 52, was arrested by police alongside the woman after members of the
public claimed they were having sex outside Waterloo train station during the
evening rush hour on August 20 last year.
The woman
initially accepted a caution for outraging public decency - but later alleged
she had been sexually assaulted by the father-of-three, meaning she was given
anonymity for life.
If there are many more cases like this one, then the public interest is going to demand that the alleged victims are also named
Mark
Stephens
Police have
now allegedly dropped the action relating to sexual assault following an
eight-month investigation. The woman is said to have been told of the
development.
The decision
led one lawyer to question the anonymity rules. Mark Stephens, a law partner at
Howard Kennedy, told The Times the case is “an abject lesson in the
manipulation of the anonymity laws around allegations of sexual assault”.
He added:
"There are very good reasons for having anonymity in many cases. However,
if there are many more cases like this one, then the public interest is going
to demand that the alleged victims are also named."
Mr Stening, a general counsel at private equity firm Doughty Hanson, remains accused of outraging public decency by engaging in a sexual act with another person.
Stock image of London Waterloo train station
Stock image
of London Waterloo train station CREDIT: ALAMY
He has
denied the charge and is due to appear at Camberwell magistrates’ court on June
23. The woman still faces being reported to the Bar Standards Board.
His
solicitor, Amarjit Bhachu, previously told The Telegraph: “This is sadly a case
where my client, a man of impeccable character, has had his name tarnished by a
false allegation where the complainant cannot be named.”
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