London, Jan 4 A 43-year-old Indian-origin man has been sentenced to nine months in prison for performing a sex act in front of a lone woman onboard a London Underground train, leaving the victim "frightened" and "upset".
Mukesh Shah, a resident of Primrose Way in Wembley, was found guilty of indecent exposure at London Inner Crown Court last month, the British Transport Police (BTP) said on Tuesday.
“Shah’s disgusting actions have not only secured him time behind bars, but restrictions following his release prevent him from repeating his actions in the future," Investigating Oofficer, Detective Constable Mark Luker, said.
Shah was also ordered to sign the sex offenders register for 10 years and subjected to a 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order.
The court heard that on November 4, 2022, that at around 11.40 p.m., the victim was travelling alone in an empty Piccadilly Line carriage between Sudbury Town and Acton Town when Shah boarded the train.
Despite the empty carriage, Shah sat diagonally opposite the victim and she noticed him staring at her, making her feel uncomfortable.
"It was then that she noticed he was exposing himself and masturbating," the transport police said, adding that the victim "bravely" captured Shah on camera hoping it would deter him.
But when it didn't, she confronted Shah and told him to stop and move away from her.
He protested he hadn’t done anything wrong but moved along the carriage.
The victim reported the incident to the BTP along with the video, which was circulated within the police and led to the identification of Shah.
“This was a frightening and upsetting experience for the victim and I commend her bravery in confronting the offender, managing to capture an image of Shah and reporting this," Luker said in a statement.
“We will always take reports of sexual offences seriously and will do everything in our power to bring offenders to justice. I urge anyone who sees or experiences this behaviour to report it to British Transport Police," the police official added.
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