Amit Patel has been convicted for sexually assaulting a fellow student while working in the Students’ Union bar. While working a shift last summer, Patel assaulted a woman by reaching under her skirt and groping her underwear. The 26-year-old was working his first shift at the bar, and he denies the sexual assault and any physical contact with the victim. However, he has since been found guilty at Cardiff Magistrates Court, with Judge Gareth Williams stating that his claims were “implausible” and rejected due to CCTV footage and the victim’s credible account. The defendant grew up in India and moved to Cardiff in 2023 to complete his Master’s degree.
He has since graduated from the school of data science and analytics at Cardiff University. During his first shift at the Students’ Union bar, Patel stated he was restocking the bar and had not been drinking when the assault occurred. He stated “my shift had ended and I wanted to go home, so I left the storeroom and walked through the main room”. According to Wales Online, Patel was asked in court if there was any physical contact when he passed the woman; he replied: “No. I don’t think so. I don’t remember.” He then added “there was no contact”. When asked if he was certain, he replied “Yes”, and claimed he did not see the victim as they passed each other.
He added that after he passed the woman, she grabbed his shoulders from behind, which he claimed was confusing. Patel was examined by the prosecution who asked: “It was a crowded room, wasn’t it? So, to make your way around, you would have to look where you were going. Why didn’t you see her?” He replied: “In my thought, I wanted to go home.” The prosecutor accused Patel of placing his hand under the victim’s skirt and putting two fingers to her underwear.
The prosecutor stated: “I’m going to put it to you that you were walking out of a bar, you saw a pretty girl in a short skirt, and something went through your mind. You decide to touch her vagina. You took an opportunity as you thought you could get away with it because it was dark and there was loud music.” It was stated that the defendant’s fingers “ran up”, to which Patel replied: “No, I didn’t do anything. My only thought was to go home.”
Following the assault, the victim immediately confronted Patel before police arrived at the scene and arrested him. Despite Mr Chudleigh (defending) stating that alcohol being in the victim’s system may have impacted her recollection of events, Judge Williams rejected this, stating that the evidence the victim had provided previously had been “credible and truthful”. It was stated that she “recalled the events with clarity and was not hazed by alcohol”. CCTV in the venue did not clearly show the assault; however, Judge Williams stated that there was enough room for Patel to pass the victim without going so close to her. Patel failed to give an explanation as to why the victim immediately turned around with anger after he passed her.
After Patel’s failure to provide a statement to the police following the event, due to there being no Hindi interpreter, the judge stated “I accept English is not your first language, but you have answered questions today in English and it appears you have followed the trial with relative ease”. The victim described the deliberate movement of Patel’s finger over her genital area, stating the touching was not accidental. The upward movement was indicative of a deliberate action, meaning the assault did not happen by accident. Patel showed no emotion when he was found guilty of sexual assault.