A Nigerian man has been sentenced to 44 weeks in prison in the United Kingdom after exposing himself and masturbating in front of a woman on a train travelling toward Manchester.
Advertisements
Babatunde Odutola, 36, of no fixed address, was sentenced at Manchester Magistrates’ Court on Monday, September 14, after pleading guilty to outraging public decency and breaching a suspended sentence order. He is a registered sex offender.
Advertisements
British Transport Police said the incident happened around 7pm on Friday, September 11, aboard a train passing through Cheshire en route to Manchester Piccadilly railway station. According to police, Odutola approached a woman travelling alone, looked her up and down, and became aggressive when she declined to engage with him. While seated in a wheelchair, he then exposed himself and began masturbating while staring at the woman and telling her to “come over.”
A fellow passenger intervened and escorted the distressed woman from the carriage. Police said CCTV footage showed Odutola continued the act even as other passengers walked through the carriage. He was arrested on the train’s arrival at Manchester Piccadilly and was prosecuted and jailed within 72 hours of the offence.
Detective Constable Leonidas Christoforou of British Transport Police said Odutola’s conduct had been terrifying for the victim, whom he had singled out while she travelled alone. He said Odutola showed little remorse and denied the allegations during his police interview, but that CCTV footage and witness accounts provided sufficient evidence to secure a guilty plea.
Christoforou added that this was not the first such incident involving Odutola, and that British Transport Police would continue to pursue offenders involved in similar conduct on the railway network. The force is urging passengers who witness or experience similar incidents to report them by texting 61016.
Advertisements
