An 18-year-old man has been jailed for five years for raping a teenage girl in the toilets of a busy train station, in an attack British Transport Police described as premeditated and abhorrent.
Tommi Harwood, of Andersons in Stanford-le-Hope, was messaging a 16-year-old girl on Snapchat under the name 'Bobby'. Harwood was also 16 at the time. During the conversation on September 5, 2024, it emerged she was on a train, and he asked to meet her at Romford station.
Attack at Romford station
The train arrived just after 8pm and he met her on the platform. He then led her into a waiting room and repeatedly asked her to check if anyone was in the women's toilets.
After a short while she went to use the toilet, but Harwood followed and raped her. They returned to the platform, where he told the victim: “If we see police, run across the tracks”.
Arrest and sentencing
The girl reported the incident, meeting with British Transport Police detectives the following day. A manhunt was launched, but initial efforts to locate Harwood were unsuccessful. On October 25, he was spotted at Basildon station, where rail staff stopped him for travelling without a valid ticket. He was arrested and taken into police custody for interview.
On Friday, October 9, at Snaresbrook Crown Court, he was sentenced to five years' imprisonment. He also received an indefinite restraining order and an eight-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO).
Police response
British Transport Police Detective Constable Ross McAlpine said: “The young victim has shown tremendous courage, not only by speaking up and reporting what happened to her, but by supporting our enquiries and the court proceedings that followed.
“She has been supported throughout our investigation by specialist officers, and I hope the fact her attacker is now behind bars brings her some sense of justice.
“Harwood’s attack was premeditated and frankly abhorrent. Through his actions, he has shown that he poses a very real threat to women and girls.
“Tackling sexual offending is a top priority for us at BTP. I would urge anyone who experiences or witnesses this offending to report it to us by texting 61016 or dialling 999 in an emergency.
“Just as we have in this case, we’ll stop at nothing to put dangerous sex offenders before the courts.”
