Overview
- David Stroud, 44, pleaded guilty Thursday at Highbury Corner Magistrates' Court to harassing a woman because of her sex.
- Prosecutors said that on 3 April he sat beside a lone passenger on a Hastings-to-London train, leaned in, grabbed her hair, told her she was "magical," and asked "can I kiss you?"
- The woman, who was on the phone to her boyfriend, said she felt cornered and could smell alcohol, and British Transport Police arrested Stroud at London Bridge.
- BTP called it the first prosecution under Section 4B of the Public Order Act, which criminalises intentional harassment because of someone's sex and carries penalties of up to two years in prison.
- Magistrates ordered a pre-sentence report and set sentencing for 9 June, and the Crown Prosecution Service said the case shows the justice system can deliver results for victims of public-space harassment.