Southall, United Kingdom: Former British Airways in-flight cabin crew lead Amardip “Amo” Dhariwal has been convicted of sexually assaulting a female colleague at his home in Bracknell, Berkshire, in May 2022, bringing a four-year legal process to a verdict. An 11-person jury unanimously found the 55-year-old guilty of one count of rape at Reading Crown Court on September 1, 2026, following a nine-day retrial.
Dhariwal, who is from Southall, west London, was working as a British Airways in-flight cabin crew lead when the incident occurred. Thames Valley Police said he invited a female colleague in her twenties to his Bracknell home in May 2022, where the pair spent the evening socialising. The woman later fell asleep on a sofa and woke to find Dhariwal sexually touching her without her consent, according to police.
The victim did not confront Dhariwal during the alleged assault because she feared how he might react, police said. After he stopped and went upstairs, she fled the property, contacted a friend and reported the incident to police.
Prosecutor James Partridge told the jury: “They met three months prior to the incident on a flight to Cape Town.” He added: “They got on so well that they met for coffee a few times. She went to his house for taco and movie nights.”
The woman had previously described Dhariwal as her “work husband”, while the court also heard that she had referred to one of their meetings as a “date” in a message. The description reflected the relationship they had developed as colleagues and friends, but she told the court that the sexual contact during the 2022 incident was not consensual.
Dhariwal denied the allegation. His position was that any sexual interaction had been consensual. He told police: “Anything that happened was consensual.” The jury rejected that defence and convicted him of sexual assault.
The case also involved allegations from two other female British Airways cabin crew members concerning incidents during overseas work trips. One woman alleged that Dhariwal raped her in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in 2018 after she had been drinking and was asleep or unconscious in a hotel room. A second woman alleged that she was raped in a Singapore hotel in 2020.
The Singapore complainant later confronted Dhariwal through Facebook and, according to evidence reported during the trial, he allegedly responded: “You didn’t say no in bed, hun.” Dhariwal denied the allegations.
Those two overseas incidents, however, did not result in convictions. Thames Valley Police said Dhariwal had originally faced two counts of rape and two further counts of sexual assault relating to the women in Singapore and Kuala Lumpur, but those charges were later discontinued because the Crown Prosecution Service did not have jurisdiction to prosecute offences alleged to have occurred outside England and Wales.
The evidence of both women was nevertheless heard during the Bracknell trial as bad-character evidence. Police said the jury was entitled to consider that evidence when assessing Dhariwal’s propensity to commit the sexual offence for which he was being tried. The two historical allegations must therefore be distinguished from the Bracknell offence for which Dhariwal has now been convicted.
Thames Valley Police said Dhariwal was initially investigated and subsequently charged in connection with the case. Police records state that he was charged by postal requisition on May 9, 2024.
Dhariwal’s first trial at Reading Crown Court in May 2025 ended with a hung jury, meaning the jury was unable to reach the required verdict. A retrial was subsequently ordered. The case returned to Reading Crown Court in August 2026, with hearings continuing through the month before the jury reached its unanimous guilty verdict on September 1, 2026.
Detective Constable Clare Hickman, who investigated the case, praised the three women who provided evidence. “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 said.
“I also commend 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,” Hickman added.
“All three women have shown remarkable resilience, courage, and dignity throughout,” she said, adding: “I hope this conviction provides them with a sense of justice and supports them as they continue to move forward with their lives.”
Dhariwal is no longer employed by British Airways. Earlier reports identified him as an experienced in-flight lead who had worked across the airline’s network. Dhariwal is not currently in custody. Thames Valley Police said he was released on conditional court bail following his conviction. He is due to return to Reading Crown Court for sentencing on October 29, 2026. The sentencing will determine the punishment for the conviction.
