A trainee heard her cries for help and came to her aid
An IT helpdesk worker at international law firm Fieldfisher has been convicted of a Christmas party sexual assault against a paralegal.
Varun Krishnakumar was found guilty of sexual assault on Wednesday at the Old Bailey, after he approached his young victim in the ladies’ toilets and groped her last December.
The court heard how the attack happened at the London office of international law firm Fieldfisher, after the paralegal refused to take a selfie with IT specialist Krishnakumar. According to the Evening Standard, the female victim — who can’t be named for legal reasons — explained:
He asked me if we could get a selfie together, which I said no to because it was a bit weird with someone I have just met.
The paralegal went on to tell the jury that 30-year-old Krishnakumar poked his head through the door of the ladies’ loos later on that evening at about 9pm, while the 26-year-old was washing her hands. She recalled:
I said ‘this is the girls’ toilets’ because I presumed he had wandered in by accident thinking it was the men’s. He started walking towards me and just said ‘it’s fine, don’t worry about it’.
With it first emerging on legal blog Roll on Friday that the young member of staff was a paralegal, the court heard how Krishnakumar, who is married, then proceeded to sexually assault her.
Fortunately, a trainee in the men’s toilets next door heard the commotion and came to her rescue. He then called the police, who detained Krishnakumar and arrested him.
The IT worker claimed he tipsily entered the wrong bathroom and the young paralegal made up the assault, but the jury didn’t buy it.
Krishnakumar — who left the firm shortly after the incident — will be sentenced on 4 August. According to Judge Nicholas Cooke QC, a stint in prison is “inevitable”.