SNS GroupA police constable recorded groping another officer on a night out has been ordered to do 150 hours of unpaid work.
Martin O’Neill inappropriately touched the woman at Glasgow’s Bar Home on April 10, 2022.
The married 42-year-old was caught on camera after a colleague decided to video him due to how drunk he was.
O’Neill was reported to his superiors at Police Scotland.
The former constable appeared at Glasgow Sheriff Court where he pled guilty to a charge of sexual assault.
It emerged O’Neill – who joined the force in 2019 – resigned before appearing in the dock.
The warehouse worker was put on the sex offenders register and supervision for 12 months.
Prosecutor Caitlin McAllister said: “O’Neill was seen by colleagues placing his hand on (the woman’s) thigh for a minute or two.
“Other officers saw him touching her there at various points during the night.”
O’Neill was described as “very drunk” in the pub.
Some of his concerned colleagues messaged each other about how uncomfortable the victim looked.
Describing another incident that night, Ms McAllister said: “O’Neill was seen reach over with his hand and try to slap the victim on her buttocks.
“He missed and made contact with her rear upper thigh area.”
The victim later confronted O’Neill, who apologised for his conduct.
The matter was then reported leading to O’Neill being charged.
Christopher Shaw, defending, told the court: “He was at a work’s night out and does not socialise much.
“He took more alcohol than he was used to.
“He had a good working relationship with the victim, and he acknowledges in his drunkenness that he was overfamiliar.
“My client accepts his conduct was inappropriate.
“This is a one-off incident and there is no realistic way of this occurring.”
Follow STV News on WhatsApp
Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
