north London man pressing his bare genitals against a woman on a Tube carriage for her child has been imprisoned.
Hasan Degirmenci, 34, entering from Hertford Road Enfieldperformed the “terrible” sexual crime on a crowded Piccadilly train on December 2.
The woman had boarded the crowded subway heading to Knight Bridge around 6 p.m., with her 12-year-old daughter.
Shortly before they reached their stop, the woman felt something press against her from behind.
Her daughter then saw Degirmenci pressing his groin against her mother with his pants 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 pants down, to the barriers where they alerted station staff who then contacted BTP agents.
British transport police officers rushed to the scene and arrested Degirmenci, who had been taken into custody.
He appeared before Highbury Corner Magistrates’ Court on 20 December where he pleaded guilty to one count of assault and one count of indecent exposure.
On 24 January, Degirmenci was sentenced to 16 months in prison by the Inner London Crown Court and given a five-year sexual harm prevention order (SHPO).
He was also ordered to sign the sex offender registry for 10 years.
Detective Constable Kathryn Faine, investigating officer on the case, said: “This incident was extremely alarming and distressing to both the woman and her young daughter.
“He targeted the victim in a crowded environment for his own sexual gratification, and I hope his jail time sends a clear signal to anyone engaging in this kind of behavior on the network – it just won’t be tolerated.”
Mandy McGregor, TfL’s Head of Policing and Community Safety, said: “This was a horrific incident. No one should ever experience sexual harassment on our network and we work closely with the UK Transport Police to make the transport network a hostile place for offenders.
“We urge anyone who experiences or witnesses this type of behavior to report it to the police or an employee so that we can take action and prevent future violations. The sooner it is reported, the stronger the evidence we have to ensure perpetrators are brought to justice.”