An 18-year-old man has been jailed for five years for raping a girl in the toilets at Romford train station. Tommi Harwood was 16 at the time of the attack on a girl of the same age in September 2024.
Harwood had been messaging the victim on Snapchat, telling her his name was “Bobby”. During the conversation, she mentioned she was on a train, and he asked to meet her at Romford station.
Attack at the station
The train arrived at the station just after 8pm, and Harwood 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 her inside and raped her.
They returned to the platform, and he told the victim: “If we see police, run across the tracks.”
Arrest after ticket check
The victim reported the incident to British Transport Police (BTP) detectives the following day. A manhunt was launched, but initial efforts to locate Harwood were unsuccessful.
On October 25, BTP officers spotted him at Basildon station, where he was stopped by rail staff for travelling without a valid ticket. He was arrested and taken into police custody for interview.
Sentencing and impact
The victim’s detailed account, combined with forensic and CCTV evidence, led the Crown Prosecution Service to authorise the rape charge. On Friday, October 9, Harwood was sentenced to five years in prison after being found guilty following a five-day trial at Snaresbrook Crown Court. He was also handed an indefinite restraining order and an eight-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order.
BTP 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.”
