Herts police officer sexually assaulted colleague on night out, court told
Lewis Black, 27, left his victim feeling “numb” and “frozen” after he groped him after an evening of drinking, it is alleged.
Last updated 4th Nov 2026
A police officer put his hands down his colleague’s trousers and sexually assaulted him after a night out, a court has heard.
Lewis Black, 27, left his victim feeling “numb” and “frozen” after he groped him after an evening of drinking, it is alleged.
The Hertfordshire Constabulary Office appeared at Southwark Crown Court on Wednesday for trial, having previously denied two counts of sexual assault.
Jurors were shown footage of the alleged victim’s interview with police, during which he said he was there to report “numerous incidents involving myself and a colleague”.
Explaining the first incident, he said that the pair and one other had gone out drinking in Watford on an evening in 2023.
He said the group left the bar and started walking towards the centre.
The alleged victim said he went to hug Black goodbye, and “at that point he’s got both of his hands down the back of my trousers, grabs my bum with both hands”.
He described hearing a “deep exhale in my left ear”.
Asked how long it lasted, he said: “I felt like it lasted a long time, but it must have only been…maybe a couple seconds.”
The complainant added: “Then one of his hands has gone down the front, grabbing my crotch area.”
The alleged victim said this happened “outside my trousers”, and lasted “maybe half a second”.
He said that he can’t remember much before and after, adding: “I just remember the incident, clear as day. I sort of sobered up immediately and froze.”
In the evidence, he said he was “in shock” and “felt like numb”.
Describing the second alleged incident, the complainant said Black had approached him in a locker room and pulled his shirt down while touching his back.
Asked what was going through his mind during that moment, he said: “That was weird, that’s what went through my mind, was that was weird. And then, why has he done that?”
The defendant, of Kings Langley, Hertfordshire, has pleaded not guilty to two counts of sexual assault.
The trial continues.