A serving Metropolitan Police officer has been charged with two counts of sexual assault over incidents alleged to have taken place while he was on duty.
PC Islam Abdel-Hady, 43, who is attached to the force’s West Area Basic Command Unit, faces the charges in connection with two separate incidents said to have occurred in January 2020 and February 2025. The West Area unit is one of the Met’s basic command units covering boroughs in west London.
The officer has been suspended from duty. He is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Monday 5 October, where the case will be heard for the first time.
The two women at the centre of the allegations are reported to be known to PC Abdel-Hady.
What the allegations involve
Few further details have been made public at this stage. What is known is that the two alleged incidents are said to have taken place more than five years apart — one at the start of 2020 and another in February this year — and that both allegedly happened while the officer was on duty.
Under the Sexual Offences Act 2003, sexual assault involves intentional sexual touching in circumstances where the other person does not consent. It is an either-way offence, meaning it can be dealt with in either the magistrates’ court or the Crown Court depending on its seriousness.
What happens next
When the case is called at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Monday, the charges will be formally put to the officer. First hearings in the magistrates’ court typically deal with the defendant’s plea and questions of bail, with more serious cases sent to the Crown Court for trial. If the case is sent to the Crown Court, a jury would ultimately determine the verdict.
Complainants in sexual offence cases are entitled to lifelong anonymity under the law, and reporting restrictions apply to protect their identities.
It must be stressed that PC Abdel-Hady has been charged — not convicted. He remains innocent until proven guilty, and the claims against him are allegations unless and until they are proved in court.
Suspension and the misconduct process
The officer’s suspension from duty is the standard step taken by police forces when a serving officer faces serious criminal charges, removing them from operational duties while proceedings run their course. Suspension is not a disciplinary sanction in itself; it is a neutral measure used while investigations or proceedings are under way.
Allegations of serious on-duty misconduct by police officers in England and Wales are normally referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), the body that oversees the police complaints system. Any misconduct proceedings would ordinarily follow the conclusion of the criminal case, so as not to prejudice it.
The development comes as the Metropolitan Police — the UK’s largest police force, with more than 30,000 officers — continues to face close scrutiny over the standards and behaviour of its officers, following a string of high-profile cases in recent years.
Elsewhere in London
The charge comes during a demanding period for the force across the capital. Detectives recently launched a murder investigation after a man was shot dead at a memorial service in East Acton, while officers were also called to a major early-hours emergency on Charing Cross Road which saw the street closed in both directions. Police have separately appealed for information after a teenage girl was sexually assaulted outside Vauxhall Tube station.
PC Abdel-Hady’s case is expected to be called at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Monday morning.
