Graeme Stening, 52,  allegedly engaged in sexual act outside train station with another lawyer during rush hour
The woman initially accepted a caution but later claimed a sexual attack
Senior corporate lawyer is yet to find out if he will be charged with sexual offence, denies outraging public decency

‘Rape? …Two drunk adults, both experienced officers of the law no less, engage in lewd behavior on the street in broad daylight. Caught, one denies culpability because she was drunk, therefore ‘unwell’ to have acted with consent, despite being interviewed at a police station and accepting a caution. Is this real? Sounds more like the legal system is being raped because, now one identity is shielded and they other publicly flogged while botched case may never be fully prosecuted’

A married City lawyer who is accused of having sex in the street with a female QC is yet to find out whether he is facing a charge of sexual assault.
Graeme Stening, 52, a senior lawyer at a private equity firm, allegedly engaged in a broad-daylight sexual act during the evening rush hour outside London’s Waterloo station in August last year.
The woman, who was arrested and thrown in the cells after being caught with her knickers round her ankles, initially accepted a caution.
But two months after the incident, the woman said the caution had been ‘administered erroneously’ because she was too drunk to consent to sex.
Stening was then interviewed about the new claims under caution and told a charging decision would be made at the end of last year.
But, despite being due to stand trial over the public decency offence in June, Stening has yet to find out if he will be charged with a sexual offence.

Graeme Stening, 52 (pictured) who is accused of having sex in the street with a female QC is yet to find out whether he faces a charge of sexual assault

On August 20 last year, in the middle of rush hour at grimy Waterloo station,  respected City lawyer Graeme Stening was caught indulging in an eye-watering clinch with an attractive female QC at the end of a boozy afternoon together.

Mr Stening, a senior lawyer at a private equity firm, was allegedly exposed and touching himself – and the woman – in an intimate fashion.

Disconcerted onlookers summoned the police and the two legal professionals, who are more accustomed to presenting cases in court than being the potential subject of them, were arrested and taken to a South London police station where they were left to sober up overnight.

The following morning, Mr Stening denied any wrongdoing and was charged with outraging public decency by engaging in a sexual act during broad daylight. The female QC accepted a police caution for the same offence.

So far, so excruciatingly embarrassing. But fast forward six weeks, and the woman changed her story, claiming that she should never have accepted the police caution because she had, in fact, been the victim of a sexual assault and, because she was unwell, could not remember what took place outside Waterloo.

During a pre-trial hearing at Camberwell Magistrates’ Court today, Stening’s lawyer Amarjit Bhachu said: ‘What is my client going to be defending?
‘Clearly one would expect a decision to be made before the trial takes place.’
Mr Bhacha told the court how the father-of-three had been told a decision would be made on charging by the end of December.
He added the officer in charge of the case had told him the file had been handed to the Rape and Serious Sexual Offences Unit for a decision to be made.
But he said when he spoke to the unit, he was told no such file has been received.
Sources have previously claimed the anonymous QC belatedly cried assault because she was desperate to keep her drunken romp a secret – and did not care how much harm she did to Stening in the process.|
Reasoning the woman involved has been a barrister for years, she might be expected to have some awareness of the law surrounding cautions. She may also have realised that if Stening went on to face prosecution over the incident – as is happening – her name would almost certainly be raised in a public court, along with the fact that she admitted committing a criminal offence herself by accepting a caution.
However, it is now understood the QC will argue she was unwell at the time of the incident, and therefore not in a position to properly consent to the caution.
District Judge Louise Balmain ordered the case to be listed for a hearing on May 4.
Stening, who lives in a £2million home in Windlesham, Surrey, with wife Sian in 1989, works as general counsel at multi-billion pound private equity firm Doughty Hanson.
The company has faced problems since founder Nigel Doughty was found dead in his home gym four years ago.

Stening, who reportedly lives with his wife of 28 years Sian, 50, in a £2million detached house in Windlesham, Surrey (pictured), pleaded not guilty to one count of outraging public decency last September 21

The woman initially accepted a caution. But two months after the incident outside Waterloo (pictured), the woman said the caution had been ‘administered erroneously’ because she was too drunk to consent to sex

The venture capitalists buy and develop market-leading businesses throughout Europe.
He previously worked as Vice President and Group Senior Counsel of Invensys during a successful career as a corporate lawyer.
Stening did not attend the hearing today.
Mr Bhachu told the Mail last night: ‘My client, a man of impeccable character, has had his name tarnished by false allegations – and where the claimant cannot be named. The allegations will be vigorously defended.’

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