A Kent Police officer messaged a woman with a “tongue in cheek” apology after he reportedly groped her crotch in a late-night bar, a jury has heard.

Benjamin Bromley told his alleged victim he had “ploughed through drinks” during their night out in Canterbury before ending his text with the words: “Sorry if I sexually assaulted you xx”.

But the 34-year-old from Ashford later denied any inappropriate touching of the woman – who was known to him - when he was interviewed by police.

Bromley is on trial at Canterbury Crown Court, where he denies one offence of sexual assault.

It is alleged that as he hugged the woman goodbye at The Cuban in 2021 he groped her private parts.

At the start of his trial today, prosecutor Rio Pahlavanpour said Bromley and the complainant were with a group of friends.

Bromley was off-duty at the time of the alleged incident.

Everyone had been drinking alcohol during their night out, which saw them visit two bars in the city centre before ending up at The Cuban at about midnight.

Bromley was later said by one of his friends to be “heavily intoxicated” and either “aggravated or irritated” about something during the evening.

It was as he hugged others in the group goodbye at around 2am that it is alleged he molested the woman.

"The prosecution say he placed his hand around her waist, got to the small of her back and then moved that same hand down," Mr Pahlavanpour told the court.

"Due to how uncomfortable it was, she had to readjust (clothing) straightaway."

Mr Pahlavanpour said the alleged incident was also witnessed by someone else in the group.

"He (the witness) will describe seeing the defendant grab the complainant underneath in a scooping action [...] that it was quite aggressive, and that the complainant was clearly uncomfortable by what had just happened," the prosecutor told the jury.

"He asked her if she was OK and said that he had seen what had happened. Her response was 'Yeah, he just grabbed me underneath'. Others noticed an obvious change in her after the incident occurred."

The court heard Bromley sent a message the next morning after being prompted by who said he “may owe her an apology”.

In the text read to the jury by Mr Pahlavanpour, Bromley told the woman: "Sorry for last night. I ploughed through the drinks and can't remember from The Cuban lol. Sorry if I sexually assaulted you. xx"

‘Never for one second thought he would act like this towards me...’

She did not respond to the message and did not report the alleged incident, the court heard.

But it came to the attention of the police professional standards department in January last year.

Bromley was interviewed and gave a prepared statement in which he denied sexual assault.

"He stated he had been out with the group, the atmosphere had been good and despite drinking alcohol he remembered everything that had happened," Mr Pahlavanpour told the jury.

"He stated he said his goodbyes, hugged and kissed (the complainant) on the cheek and there was no adverse reaction from her."

Bromley then replied “no comment” to all questions before providing a further statement in which he said there was “a possibility” his hand had gone below her backside and “unintentionally” made contact with her private parts.

He also stated he had not taken the suggestion about owing an apology “seriously” and that his subsequent message to the complainant was “tongue in cheek”, added the prosecutor.

Giving evidence, the alleged victim described the mood among the group as “friendly and fun”.

She told the jury she was drunk but could “hold a conversation and stand on her feet”.

Describing the moments after Bromley allegedly groped her, the woman recalled: "I remember having to go to the toilet after to readjust myself because (the clothing) I was wearing had been kind of pushed up."

She also told the jury she recalled speaking “almost immediately” to one of the group about what had allegedly happened.

"At the time I felt awful, actually. It did affect me because I remember having that conversation....but also I had had a couple of drinks so wasn't sure if my emotions were heightened or not."

Asked by the prosecutor if she had given her consent to being touched in that manner, the woman replied: "Absolutely not."

Eva Niculiu, defending, told the jury Bromley maintained he did not intentionally touch the woman and any contact would have been inadvertent.

During Ms Niculiu's cross-examination, the complainant agreed that when she gave her initial account to police, she had described the alleged incident as lasting “milliseconds” and did not know if it was “deliberate or a mistake”.

She also stated she “never for one second thought he would act like this towards me”.

But in re-examination by the prosecutor, the woman maintained the touching had happened and in the way she described.

One of the friendship group told the court although she had only seen the pair “leaning in”, the alleged victim appeared “tearful and sad” afterwards.

"It was quite obvious something had happened," she added.

Bromley told the jury he had first joined Kent Police as a PCSO in October 2017, before training at Kent Police College in August 2020 and "passing out" as a PC in January the following year.

The married dad was based at Folkestone at the time of the alleged incident and has been suspended ever since, the court heard.

He described himself as "tactile", adding he hugged and kissed both female and male friends, and was "shocked" by his arrest.

Bromley maintained he was "absolutely 100% sure" he had not intended to sexually assault the woman and could not recall any such contact.

The trial continues.