Man jailed for pressing bare genitals against woman on crowded Tube
A north London man who pressed his bare genitals against a woman on a Tube carriage in front of her child has been jailed.
Hasan Degirmenci, 34, of Hertford Road in Enfield, carried out the “appalling” sex crime on a packed Piccadilly line train on December 2.
The woman had boarded the crowded Tube travelling towards Knightsbridge around 6pm, with her 12-year-old daughter.
Shortly before they reached their stop, the woman felt something press up against her from behind.
Her daughter then saw Degirmenci pressing his groin against her mother with his trousers down and genitals exposed.
The woman confronted him and they all got off the train at Knightsbridge station.
The woman and her daughter followed Degirmenci, who still had his trousers down, towards the ticket barriers where they alerted station staff who then contacted the British Transport Police (BTP).
BTP officers rushed to the scene and arrested Degirmenci, who was remanded in custody.
He appeared at Highbury Corner Magistrates’ Court on December 20, where he pleaded guilty to one count of sexual assault and one count of indecent exposure.
On January 24, Degirmenci was sentenced to 16 months imprisonment at Inner London Crown Court and was handed a five-year sexual harm prevention order (SHPO).
He was also ordered to sign the Sex Offenders Register for 10 years.
Detective Constable Kathryn Faine, investigating officer in the case, said: “This incident was extremely alarming and distressing both for the woman and her young daughter.
“He targeted the victim in a crowded environment for his own sexual gratification, and I hope his jail term sends a clear message to anyone who exhibits this type of behaviour on the network – it simply won’t be tolerated.”
Mandy McGregor, TfL’s Head of Policing and Community Safety, said: “This was an appalling incident. No one should ever experience sexual harassment on our network and we are working closely with the British Transport Police to make the transport network a hostile place for offenders.
“We urge anyone who experiences or witnesses this type of behaviour to report it to the police or a member of staff so that we can take action and prevent future offending. The earlier it is reported, the stronger the evidence we have to help ensure that perpetrators face justice.”
