Amardip Dhariwal
Introduction
Amardip Dhariwal is a 55-year-old man from Southall in west London who worked for British Airways as an in-flight cabin crew lead. He was jailed for eight years after being found guilty of sexually assaulting a woman at his Bracknell home after the pair spent a night socialising in May 2022. Dhariwal was convicted of one count of sexual assault by penetration following a trial at Reading Crown Court — a retrial made necessary by an earlier hung jury. He was sentenced on Thursday, 5 November 2026, and Thames Valley Police released details of the sentencing on Tuesday, 10 November.
Background Information
The assault happened in May 2022 at Dhariwal’s Bracknell home, after he and the woman spent a night socialising. The victim awoke to find him touching her without consent. She pretended she was still asleep as the assault concluded, fearing how Dhariwal would react on being disturbed. Once it was over, she fled, called a friend for help, and later reported him to the police. The case was investigated by Thames Valley Police, whose Det Con Clare Hickman later publicly commended the women who gave evidence in the case.
The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation
Convicted and sentenced. Dhariwal was found guilty by a jury of sexually assaulting a woman who awoke to find him touching her without consent, and received an eight-year prison term.
Dhariwal was earlier charged by police with other offences, including two counts of rape against two other women, in Singapore and Kuala Lumpur. Those charges were dropped because the Crown Prosecution Service did not have jurisdiction to prosecute him for them. The women’s evidence was nonetheless heard during the trial as bad character evidence against him. His first trial ended with the jury unable to agree on a verdict, and the retrial at Reading Crown Court produced a guilty verdict on one count of sexual assault by penetration — a conviction reported by the BBC on 2 September 2026.
At the time of that verdict, Det Con Clare Hickman, from Thames Valley Police, said: “I would like to commend the courage of the victim in coming forward to report this offence and for remaining engaged throughout the investigation and court process.” She also commended “the strength and integrity of the two other women who supported this case by providing bad character evidence in the interests of justice, not only for themselves but for one another,” adding: “All three women have shown remarkable resilience, courage and dignity throughout.” The September report said Dhariwal was due to be sentenced at the same court on 29 October.
Public Reaction and Consequences
Dhariwal was jailed for eight years, with Thames Valley Police releasing details of the sentencing on Tuesday, 10 November 2026; the BBC reported the sentence was imposed the Thursday before — 5 November. Det Con Clare Hickman said: “This sentence reflects the seriousness of the offender’s actions and is a positive outcome following the investigation.” She added: “I would like to commend the victim for her courage and resilience throughout the criminal justice process,” and: “We take reports of sexual offences extremely seriously and will always seek to support victims and bring those responsible to justice.” The reports of the conviction and sentence record no statement from Dhariwal himself.
Current Status
Dhariwal, 55, is now serving an eight-year sentence for sexual assault by penetration. The September verdict report had him due to be sentenced on 29 October at Reading Crown Court; the sentence was ultimately handed down on 5 November 2026 and publicized by Thames Valley Police five days later. The two rape charges from Singapore and Kuala Lumpur remain dropped, never having been tried for lack of jurisdiction, though the accounts of those two women were heard by the jury that convicted him. Neither BBC report mentions any appeal.
Impact on Their Career/Life
The conviction ended in an eight-year prison term for a man whose working life, as described in both BBC reports, was with British Airways as an in-flight cabin crew lead. The verdict came only at a second attempt, after a first jury hung, and rested in part on bad character evidence from two women whose allegations could not be prosecuted because the Crown Prosecution Service lacked jurisdiction. Dhariwal will now serve the eight-year term imposed on 5 November 2026 following the retrial at Reading Crown Court.