A FORMER Essex Police officer has been convicted of sexually assaulting a woman after a night out and filming himself in the act.

A jury found Steven Tissier, 37, who worked in Basildon, guilty on two counts of sexual assault and one count of voyeurism.

Chelmsford Crown Court  heard Tissier took the victim home following a night out and thought she was asleep on the sofa as he touched her leg, thigh and bottom in the early hours of March 10, 2022.

The former officer also sexually assaulted the victim by groping her breast under her top.

During the investigation five short videos were found on Tissier’s phone showing him assaulting the victim while he thought she was asleep. He sent them to a friend a few hours after the victim went home.

Jane Foster, senior crown prosecutor for the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), said: “A big focus for the prosecution was the evidence recovered from Steven Tissier’s mobile phone which showed him sharing evidence of his assault with two friends.

“It included WhatsApp messages and a photo, sent while the victim was asleep before the attack, and video clips of the assault sent to another friend.

“This also revealed a Snapchat conversation he had with the victim some days before the attack when he suggested ‘a threesome’, a suggestion that the victim rejected, which demonstrated that his sexual interest in her was not reciprocated.”

The victim took the stand in Chelmsford Crown Court to give evidence and said she had woken up when Tissier first touched her but pretended to be asleep because she was frightened and hoped he would stop.

Ms Foster added: “When he thought the victim was asleep Tissier acted on those feelings despite there being no indication that the victim was consenting to sexual activity with him and no reasonable belief on his part that she was.”

The following day she told a friend about what had happened, and shortly afterwards reported it to the police.

Tissier will be sentenced at a later date.