Officer in Paul Conte Case was Being Investigated for Sexual Assault

Kamal Baldeo gave evidence to coroner about CCTV

Sarah Conte with her son Paul. Picture: Sarah Conte

January 10, 2025

A police officer who gave evidence at the inquest into the death of Putney man Paul Conte was facing an allegation of sexual assault at the time.

Detective Constable Kamal Baldeo appeared before the Coroner in January 2022 while he was under investigation by Sussex Police relating to an incident which took place in a hotel in Brighton the previous May.

It was alleged that he engaged in non-consensual sexual activity after meeting a woman on Hinge, an online dating site.

DC Baldeo gave evidence to the inquest at Poplar Coroners Court that Paul was seen alone on CCTV footage at 12.35am, 12.38am and at 1am, with the later footage on Lonsdale Road appearing to show him walking towards Hammersmith Bridge and away from home on the night of his death on 15 August 2021.

The 21-year-old kickboxing instructor was reported missing when he failed to return from a client’s house party in Barnes and he was found dead in the Thames three days later.

Assistant Coroner Jonathan Stevens concluded that his death was caused by drowning, but that the circumstances by which he came to that death could not be determined.

His mother Sarah Conte says that the police believe he fell into the river after walking by the Swedish School but she has been critical of their investigation due to what she described as its lack of thoroughness. She found out that they had failed to speak to the security team at St. Paul’s School who had CCTV covering the riverside. She also believed that his drink may have been spiked and that he may have been robbed or been involved in an altercation before going into the river. His phone was not recovered and her messages continued to be received after his death leading her to believe it had been stolen. The police told her there was no evidence that Paul had been attacked prior to going into the river.

Two months after Paul’s death 27-year-old Mohamed Mussa was out with friends at Le Fez Night Club in Putney High Street but his body was recovered from the Thames two days later. Despite the striking similarities between the cases, the police at the time insisted there was no link.

Mohamed Mussa (left) and Paul Conte (right)

DC Baldeo was informed that no further criminal action would be taken against him regarding the sexual assault allegation in July 2022, some months after the inquest concluded.

However, an investigation by the Met’s Directorate of Professional Standards then took place which concluded DC Baldeo should face a misconduct hearing.

The hearing, which concluded on Wednesday, 8 January, found an allegation he breached police standards of professional behaviour for discreditable conduct proven at gross misconduct and he was dismissed without notice.

Detective Chief Superintendent Clair Kelland who leads policing in South West London said, “Despite no further action in the criminal proceedings, we take allegations of this nature extremely seriously. It took a great deal of courage for the complainant to contact police and she deserved a comprehensive and thorough investigation.

“Our Directorate of Professional Standards works tirelessly to ensure our officers meet the highest of standards and DC Baldeo’s actions fell very far below these.”