A United Kingdom court has sentenced a Nigerian man, Esosa Eguakin, to two years’ imprisonment for sexually assaulting two women on separate train journeys between Hampshire and London.
Eguakin was convicted at Guildford Crown Court on Tuesday, February 10, after pleading guilty to two counts of sexual assault following an investigation by the British Transport Police.
In addition to the jail term, the court imposed a five-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order restricting his movements and conduct.
Under the order, he is prohibited from sitting or standing next to, or directly opposite, lone women in public.
Prosecutors told the court that on August 21 last year, Eguakin boarded a morning service from Fratton to London Waterloo shortly after 7.15am, where he deliberately positioned himself behind a woman in her 30s and assaulted her during the journey.
In a similar incident on October 6, just after 6am, he targeted another woman aboard a train travelling from Eastleigh to London Waterloo.
When challenged, he claimed he was attempting to retrieve a mobile phone he had dropped.
However, he reportedly refused to move away, prompting an off-duty police officer on the train to intervene.
The officer escorted him off the service at Woking, arrested him and held him at the station until uniformed officers arrived to take him into custody.
A subsequent investigation by the British Transport Police led to charges in connection with both incidents.
Detective Constable David Stewart of the British Transport Police described the attacks as predatory and traumatic for the victims, stressing that passengers should be able to travel without fear of harassment or assault.
He commended the victims for assisting the investigation and praised the swift intervention of the off-duty officer, noting that the conviction and preventive order underscored the force’s commitment to bringing sexual offenders to justice.
The police urged members of the public to report incidents of sexual misconduct on trains or at railway stations, adding that emergency situations should be reported through the appropriate channels.