Sexual assault on public transport is an increasing problem: here’s why we need to speak out

Have you ever been on a bus or train, and felt someone…brush up behind you, where they didn’t need to?

Maybe you thought it was just the rhythm of the vehicle, and it was an accident. Perhaps you got off at the next stop, and didn’t give it a second thought.

Woman ‘repeatedly sexually assaulted’ on London bus on her way to work

Sometimes, though, it will happen again. Or it never stopped in the first place. And you begin to think this person is intentionally brushing up against you. This is no accident – you’re being assaulted.

These were the thoughts that went through my mind the other week, when I got sexually assaulted on the tube as I travelled to work.

I was on a crowded train, and a man was stood directly behind me. As we departed, I could feel him swaying against me, and presumed it was just the rhythm of the carriage.

Then I realised he wasn’t swaying – he was rubbing up against me.

As the train continued, and he got more confident – for I could not move, as the train was so packed – I realised he was becoming aroused. I could feel him pressed up against my bum.

He then started stroking himself; examining how hard he was.

What was he trying to prove? That he could get hard for a real woman, instead of porn?

Man subjected to ‘disgraceful’ prolonged sexual assault on London Underground

Who knows – and I certainly wouldn’t ever want to know what went on in his head.

What angered me was that he knew he could get away with it – because I couldn’t escape.

As the train stopped, and the carriage became quieter, I moved away and found a seat.

My commute carried on as usual, and before I knew it, I was at work.

I soon realised that life wasn’t going to stop for me to process what had happened.

It would have been all too easy for me to continue with my day, go home…carry on, as if I hadn’t been violated by a stranger.

Only it wouldn’t have been. I was shaken up, and had a right to be. I’d been assaulted.

This wasn’t the first, nor was it the last time I’ve been assaulted – and stories like mine will keep happening to people across the globe.

At the time, I felt unable to speak out – but there are ways for those who have experienced assault to bring their attackers to justice.

That’s what Katie*, who works in PR, did a few years ago, when the same thing happened to her.

‘It was summer time and I was on the Central line heading to work after a physio appointment – it was a little past rush hour time, so the tube was still quite busy but not completely rammed.

‘I was facing one of the poles you hold onto on the tube – and felt pressure on the bottom of my back and bum area.

‘I flinched and turned around as much as I could to see what it was – but to be honest I put it down to someone being stood back to back with me or someone’s bag pressing into me.

‘As the train slowed down, a different man who had been standing to the side of me asked if I was OK.

‘I was incredibly confused, but as it turned out, this man was in fact a non uniformed police officer who had been following the man who’d been standing directly behind me.

‘It turned out he had been pushing his penis into me during the journey.’

It’s very common to feel that something like this can’t be happening in public – how can someone be so brazen?

When it happened to me, I felt numb – then scared. I knew I couldn’t risk doing anything – what if he’d had a knife?

For Katie, though, help was immediately at hand.

‘The non uniformed policeman was accompanied by several other officers on the who had all been following this man.

‘He’d been spotted acting peculiarly since earlier that morning, and I found out later on that he’d been following several petite blonde girls in their 20s.

‘As the train stopped, the officers dragged the man who’d been standing behind me off the carriage and onto to the platform.

‘Everything happened so quickly that it was all a bit of a whirlwind, but I remember being incredibly confused and scared.

‘I had to head straight to work to tell them what happened before heading to the transport police station to give my statement.

‘Afterwards, I was really worried that the man would somehow find out my name and track me down, and as much as I knew this was quite irrational I felt scared.

‘That evening I started feeling increasingly angry that he thought he could get away with doing something like that.

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‘It’s clear he had absolutely zero respect for women.’

Although Katie’s attacker initially pleaded guilty, he changed it to not guilty at a later date – which meant the case had to go to magistrates court, then crown court.

‘When I was told he had changed his plea, I was really annoyed.

‘It just seemed totally unfair and ridiculous considering he had already admitted guilt in his first interview.

‘It was a pretty daunting feeling knowing that I would have to go to court. I was really nervous.

‘In court I was separated by a screen from the man so he couldn’t see me when I spoke, which made it slightly better but I was still incredibly nervous.

The man made claims in court that deflected the blame from himself – and, shockingly, onto Katie herself.

‘The defendant’s lawyer insinuated that because I hadn’t proactively told the man to back off, it was probably just the motion of the train that I could feel.

‘I was furious when I heard [the attacker] speak.

‘His argument was all over the place, moving between different excuses.

‘Apparently I should have told him to back off if I felt uncomfortable (as if what he was doing was OK in the first place!)

Police hunt man after toddler was assaulted on a train

‘He even claimed at one point that I had intentionally pushed myself into him. It was one of the most frustrating things I’ve ever had to listen to.’

Fortunately, the police officer who had been stood near Katie was there to back her up.

‘The officer told the court that the suspect pushed his erection into me. He also explained that the police had been following him because of his suspicious behaviour with other young blonde women that morning.

‘He was found guilty and given a 12 month suspended sentence. He was banned from using the underground for 12 months too.’

The non uniformed officers were a division of the British Transport Police that proactively monitored for sexual harassment on public transport.

Reports of sexual offences on London’s Underground almost tripled between 2010 and 2015 – from 198 to 565.

Offences rose 52% between 2014 and 2015.

In May 2016, British Transport Police axed their sexual violence unit – but kept the bicycle theft team.

Lib Dem leader Tim Farron told Metro.co.uk: ‘Sexual offences on public transport tripled, yet the British Transport Police cut the sex crimes unit. That was completely unacceptable.

‘People on the tube shouldn’t have to travel in fear of rape or other sexual assault. That they do so is a disgrace.

Let’s be very clear, taking a condom off during sex is sexual assault

‘The investigation of sex crimes needs dedicated support and specialist officers – saying that serious sexual assault will be treated in the same way as bicycle theft is insulting.’

Katie said of the decision to scrap the unit: ‘It’s a real shame because without them I may never have known what this man had been doing to me.

‘The scale of the problem is a lot bigger than people think.’

In March 2017, TfL re-launched ‘Report It to Stop It’, a campaign aimed at encouraging people to report incidents of unwanted sexual behaviour experienced on the transport network.

Siwan Hayward, TfL’s Head of Transport Policing, said: ‘We do not tolerate unwanted sexual behaviour on our transport network and are working closely with police to stamp it out.

‘I urge anyone who experiences it to report it to police – your report matters, will be taken seriously and used by police to build a picture of the offender, so they can be caught and brought to justice.’

There has been a 36% increase in arrests for sexual offences between 2014/15 and 2015/16 – but it’s clear there are still many people who feel they can’t speak out after being assaulted.

Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London, urges those using TfL to report unwanted sexual behaviour. ‘I want [everyone] to feel confident travelling on our transport network.

‘By working together, we can raise awareness of these crimes, give [people] the encouragement they need to come forward, and bring perpetrators to justice.’

*Names have been changed to protect identities

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