A man has been banned from sitting near women he does not know on trains after repeatedly exposing himself during a 13-hour spree spanning more than 100 miles. Roman Scott, 35, targeted female passengers on various trains between London Victoria and Bournemouth last December.
Offences over 13 hours
Scott boarded the first train in the capital just after 11pm on December 14 and started masturbating after sitting next to a group of women. Other passengers kicked him off the service, but he was offending again the following morning, when he surfaced in Southampton and did the same thing on a train to Bournemouth.
Hours later, he barged into the women’s toilets at Bournemouth station and exposed himself to a woman inside. Scott then boarded another train travelling to Manchester when he sat near a young woman, blocking her in, and again started masturbating.
Arrest and conviction
The woman, along with other passengers, reported the incident to the guard, but Scott moved on to another woman, exposing himself again and making sexual comments. When she tried to escape, he followed her down the train and blocked her way, forcing her to physically push past him to get away. He then sat down and passed out, while rail staff on board confirmed he was the same man who had entered the women’s toilets in Bournemouth.
British Transport Police (BTP) were called and they arrested Scott, who claimed it was all a drunken accident, saying alcohol “just gets the better of me sometimes”.
Sentencing and order
Scott was later found guilty of five counts of exposure at Salisbury Crown Court and jailed for six months. He was also handed a 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) that bars him from sitting next to or opposite unknown women, and he will be on the sex offenders register for a decade.
BTP Detective Constable Ewen Roberts said: “Scott acted appallingly and disgustingly towards a number of women in such a short period of time, repeatedly subjecting them to horrific ordeals for his own sexual gratification.
“There is no place for sexual offending on the railway network, and never any excuse for the sort of behaviour Scott displayed.
“I am pleased to see him brought to account for his actions including time in prison and strict conditions he will have to follow for a decade when he’s released.
“We take sexual offending reports extremely seriously, and no report is too small or too trivial.
“If you’ve been the victim of a sexual offence on the railway network, you can discreetly text us on 61016 so that we can provide support to you and secure the justice you deserve.”
