Surajit Ghosh, 27, Sentenced to 18 Months in Prison for Sexual Assault and Assaulting a Police Officer

Surajit Ghosh, aged 27, appeared at Portsmouth Crown Court today (Thursday 20 June) for sentencing. He was found guilty of sexual assault of a girl under 13 by touching and assault of an emergency worker, and also pleaded guilty to a separate charge of perverting the course of justice.

The incident occurred on the evening of Saturday, May 27, 2023, when Ghosh was reported to have touched an 8-year-old girl's bottom in Tesco on Crasswell Street before fleeing the scene. He was pursued by a family member of the girl through the supermarket, but ultimately escaped the store.

Police arrived at the scene and conducted an investigation, which included reviewing CCTV footage and interviewing witnesses. Ghosh was quickly identified as the perpetrator and officers apprehended him at his home address in Drummond Road that same night. During his arrest, he became aggressive, threatening to stab officers and resisting arrest. He also injured a police officer by digging his fingernails into the officer's hand, drawing blood.

After being charged with sexual assault and assault of an emergency worker, Ghosh pleaded guilty to both charges at Portsmouth Crown Court on October 2, 2023. He then admitted to a separate charge of perverting the course of justice on April 15 this year, after attempting to contact the mother of the victim and asking her to drop the charges against him, despite having already pleaded guilty to the sexual assault.

At today's sentencing, Ghosh was given an 18-month prison sentence. He was also placed on the Sex Offenders Register for 10 years and was issued a 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order and a 10-year Restraining Order.

DC Heather Milsom, commenting on the case, stated, "This was a shocking series of offences which left a very young girl upset and her family horrified, and saw police officers subjected to violence and extreme threats. To add further insult, Ghosh used Facebook to contact the girl's mother in an attempt to get proceedings against him dropped, despite having already admitted his awful crimes in court. I want to commend the girl for her bravery in speaking to police about what was undoubtedly a very worrying incident for her, and also want to thank her family. I hope the wider public can feel reassured that Ghosh was quickly identified by police and arrested for his actions, and is now behind bars."