Overview
- Sebastian Vernon, 45, was found guilty of two counts of sexual assault and jailed for six months with a seven‑year requirement to sign the sex offenders register after a trial at Highbury Corner Magistrates' Court on July 1, 2026.
- The court heard that Vernon targeted lone women in virtually empty carriages, sitting next to or following them before sexually assaulting them on a Circle Line train on March 25, 2025 and on a Stevenage to Hitchin service on April 8, 2025.
- Both victims reported the attacks to British Transport Police and investigators linked the two incidents using those reports and victim descriptions to identify Vernon.
- Officers arrested Vernon as he left a Central London court where he had attended a separate hearing for unrelated offences, and BTP released material and statements describing him as an opportunistic predator.
- BTP praised the victims for reporting the assaults, urged anyone affected to use its text reporting service 61016, and said the case highlights a renewed priority to tackle sexual offending on the rail network.