Former Metropolitan Police special constable Hassnain Shahzad has been spared jail after sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl in a Tesco Express and on the street.
The 27-year-old from Ilford was handed a six-month prison sentence, suspended for 18 months, at Inner London Crown Court
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Shahzad groped the schoolgirl's bottom whilst she was shopping with her mother at the Bishopsgate Tesco in the City of London.
He had only recently completed his training as a special constable when he committed the offences in August 2023.
Hassnain Shahzad
City of London Police
Judge David Richards condemned his actions as "a violation of her rights over her own body".
Shahzad first touched the girl as she queued at the self-service checkouts in the Tesco Express.
The victim initially thought the contact might have been accidental in the crowded shop.
To her "horror", she realised it was deliberate when Shahzad followed her and her mother as they left the store.
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Hassnain Shahzad seen entering Tesco before sexual assault
City of London Police
CCTV footage showed him approaching the girl from behind on the pavement and groping her a second time.
The footage revealed Shahzad "made a beeline" for the girl despite there being "plenty of space on the pavement".
The girl immediately alerted her mother about both incidents.
The girl remembered her attacker had been holding a carton of chopped pineapple during the incident.
This crucial detail helped City of London Police detectives identify Shahzad through CCTV footage from the store.
Officers were able to obtain bank card details of the person who purchased the pineapple chunks at 10.45pm on August 25, 2023.
The bank provided Shahzad's information, leading police to arrest him at his home in Ilford on September 27, 2023.
During the arrest, police seized items, including clothing identical to that shown on the CCTV footage.
Two women had encouraged the victim and her mother to return to Tesco to view the security footage immediately after the assault.
The girl's mother tearfully told the court the assault had "shattered" her daughter's trust in adults and marked the "tragic end of her innocence".
"His despicable actions, although momentary, will haunt her for the rest of her life," she said.
She described how her daughter now tenses up when men approach her.
The girl remembered her attacker had been holding a carton of chopped pineapple during the incident - Pictured here Hassnain Shahzad buying pineapple from he store
City of London Police
"I find myself seeking her permission for even the simplest gestures of affection, like a hug," the mother added.
In her own statement, the girl addressed Shahzad directly: "In a single moment, my day, my life, changed forever."
"You have affected me in more ways than you will ever know. I am almost certain you do not care."
Shahzad was sentenced to six months in prison for both offences, to run concurrently, suspended for 18 months.
He was ordered to complete 25 rehabilitation days with the probation service and perform 120 hours of community service.
The former special constable will be on the sex offenders' register for seven years.
The court also imposed a sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) for seven years, banning him from going near schools or having unsupervised contact with children.
Under the order, Shahzad must make any phones and computers available for inspection by police on request.
Judge Richards criticised him for damaging the reputation of the Met Police and "letting down victims of crime across London".
When police seized Shahzad's phone, they discovered disturbing evidence of predatory behaviour.
Officers found videos taken just two days after the sexual assault showing him filming women on the street without their permission.
The court heard these videos showed Shahzad following women and filming their bottoms.
Judge Richards commented that the videos "reflect an unhealthy interest both in looking at passersby in that way and following them".
Detective Constable Sarah Elsom said: "It's clear from the evidence taken from his phone this was not a one-off incident."
Shahzad had denied the charges, forcing his young victim to endure a trial that lasted over a year and a half.
