Sudanese diplomat arrested for allegedly groping woman at New York bar evades jail due to immunity

A Sudanese diplomat, who was arrested at a New York bar earlier this week for allegedly groping a woman, has been released because of diplomatic immunity, police said recently.

The accused, Hassan Salih, 36, works for the Sudanese mission to the United Nations as a "second officer", the mission's website reportedly showed.

The alleged incident took place on Sunday (8 October) night at around 2.30am local time (7.30am BST). The 23-year-old victim told police that Salih groped her butt and breast while they were on the dance floor at Third Avenue's Bar None, the New York Post reported, citing sources.

After the woman complained to a bouncer at the bar, the man was detained and police was informed. The man tried to run away while police were questioning the alleged victim, but officers chased him down and handcuffed him, police officials told Daily News.

He was then brought to the 9th Precinct stationhouse. However, Salih was released after it was confirmed that he was a UN diplomat.

The UN website, UN Watch, stated in May that Salih was selected to represent Sudan on a UN committee that oversees nongovernmental human-rights organisations.

This was reportedly the second such incident in a year where a diplomat from an African country was accused of indecent behaviour with a woman. In January, another Sudanese diplomat, Mohammad Abdalla Ali, was arrested for allegedly grinding his crotch on a 38-year-old woman travelling on an uptown 4 train.

Ali too escaped punishment because of his diplomatic immunity and charged against him were dropped after he provided papers proving his diplomatic status.

"There's not much you can do. He has diplomatic immunity," a police source had told the Daily News following Ali's release.