Dance Floor Predator Who Groped Woman Twice Told By Court: "It Is A Fairly Low-Level Offence"

A dance floor predator, caught on a City nightclub’s CCTV groping an IT account director between her legs for the second time has been told by a court he was guilty of “a fairly low-level offence.”

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 Croydon Crown Court last Friday he was due to be sentenced, but this was adjourned because more information is required from the Probation Service.

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, who had ordered a pre-sentence report at the conclusion of the trial, announced last Friday: “I do not have the support of any report to suggest how he is sentenced.

“I need an addendum to deal with it.”

He told Zerdi: “We cannot deal with you today because we don’t have a full report, but I will see you next week and in the meantime you can have bail.

“Be there in good time.”

After hearing from Zerdi’s lawyer that the defendant is “suitable for a sexual programme” Recorder Dawson added: “It is a fairly low-level offence.

“It was touching over clothing and not on the skin.”

At the trial the victim, giving evidence from behind a screen, 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.”

Zerdi will return to court on September 10.