A police officer in Birmingham has been cleared of sexually assaulting a woman after going to her home to repair her gas cooker.
It had been alleged that the cop named Shaukat Zaman forced his tongue into the mouth of the woman, a mother, after asking her about matters that are intimate.
According to a BirminghamLive report, a jury at the Birmingham Crown Court found the 42-year-old accused officer not guilty of sexual assault and another sexual charge of serious nature.
It heard that Zaman, of Osborn Road, Sparkhill, had gone to the woman's house while he was not on duty after she had okayed his quote of £30 to fix her faulty cooker.
Prosecutor Mark Brookes said the accused officer, who had gone to the woman's place on March 2, 2019, had been forward with her, the report added.
When Zaman was interrogated by the police, he told them that there had only been a kiss which was consensual.
Defending lawyer Sharon Bahia said that the woman had lied and tried to seduce Zaman.
She said, "This was a confident and attractive woman who knew what she wanted.
"This is not a shy and retiring woman. This is a confident woman who found Zaman attractive and had the confidence to tell him so."
FILE PHOTO: A general view shows British Steel's Scunthorpe plant, in Scunthorpe, northern England, Britain, March 31, 2025. REUTERS/Dominic Lipinski
The FBU is planning to introduce new internal policies and wants the TUC to take action as well. (Representational image: iStock)
FBU chief raises concern over rise in racist online posts by union members
THE FIRE Brigades Union (FBU) and other trade unions are increasingly concerned about a rise in racist and bigoted online comments by their own members and officials, according to Steve Wright, the FBU’s new general secretary, speaking to the Guardian.
Wright said internal inquiries have revealed dozens of cases involving members using racist slurs or stereotypes, often aimed at asylum seekers.
He said similar issues were reported in other unions, prompting a joint campaign to counter false narratives around immigration and race promoted by far-right groups online.
“People with far-right views are becoming more brazen in what they do on social media, and I’ve witnessed it with my own union around disciplinary cases and the rhetoric of some of our own members,” Wright said to the newspaper.
He added, “Some of our members and sometimes our reps have openly made comments which are racist and bigoted. In my time in the fire service, that has gone up.”
The FBU is planning to introduce new internal policies and wants the TUC to take action as well. A formal statement addressing far-right narratives will be launched at the union’s annual conference in Blackpool next month.
Wright cited the influence of social media and figures like Donald Trump and Nigel Farage as factors contributing to these incidents. “It feels like an itch that we’ve got to scratch,” he said.
The FBU barred a former official last year for allegedly endorsing racist content on X, including posts from Britain First and Tommy Robinson.
Wright also warned that the union could strike if the government moves to cut frontline fire services.