The 31 year-old woman was entertaining clients at her company’s Christmas party in the heart of the Square Mile, even shrugging off the first grope to avoid ruining the evening.
Algerian kitchen porter Nabil Zerdi, 51, was recorded loitering around the dance floor of Cornhill venue Forge and jurors watched CCTV of him targeting the victim and sneaking up on her from behind.
At Inner London Crown Court Zerdi, of Jersey Road, Isleworth was unanimously found guilty of two counts of sexual assault on the evening of December 19 and early hours of December 20, 2019.
Recorder James Dawson ordered a pre-sentence report and Zerdi will return on September 9.
Prosecutor Richard Job told the jury: “The complainant went to a bar nightclub, The Forge, in the City of London. She was hosting a works do.
“At 9pm she was walking from the dance floor to the bar when a man reached across and deliberately placed his hand between her legs.
“She was still at then club at 1am and was on the dance floor with colleagues when the same man came up behind her and placed his hand around her hip and deliberately put his hand between her legs, touching her through her dress.
“She confronted the man and attempted to grab his arm and speak to him, but he waved her away and walked off.
“She spoke to club staff, who called the police and the man was detained until officers attended.
“The man who touched her on both occasions was this defendant, Mr Zerdi and he was arrested on suspicion of assault.
“When he was questioned the defendant denied the first incident, but said the second incident was just his attempt to squeeze past and there was no sexual intention.”
The prosecutor told the jury they would view CCTV footage of the second incident.
“You will see her berating Mr Zerdi and him waving away her complaints.
Giving evidence from behind a screen the victim told the jury: “I got brushed past by some man who decided to touch me where he should not have.
“He reached under and cupped his hand and grabbed me.
“He stared at me and I stared at him and pointed at him and said: ’No’ and he casually walked off.”
Because she was entertaining important company clients the woman kept her composure and did not report the man.
“I had a duty to my clients to try and continue the night,” she told the court, but said the same man repeated his behaviour in the early hours.
The jury were shown CCTV of the second incident and the woman, wearing a sequinned dress, was approached by Zerdi, who had been loitering around the edge of the crowded dance floor.
“I felt the same hand again, more forceful, more pressured and there he was again,” she explained.
“I felt someone come towards me and cup me again over my dress. The same guy who did it the first time was standing there.
“I am one hundred per cent sure it was the same man.
“The look that he gave me, I’ll never forget and I did not want him to get away with it again or worse, do it to someone else.
“I grabbed his arm and said: ‘Don’t touch me like that again,’ and I went for help.”
She denied her judgement was effected by alcohol.
“Yes, I had some drinks, but I had high-profile clients so I could not be drunk. I was aware of my surroundings.”
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