A 36-year-old registered sex offender, Babatunde Odutola, has been sentenced to 44 weeks in prison in the United Kingdom for exposing himself and masturbating in front of a woman on a train.
Odutola was handed the sentence at the Manchester Magistrates’ Court on Monday, September 14, after pleading guilty to outraging public decency and breaching a suspended sentence order.
The British Transport Police said the incident occurred around 7pm on Friday, September 11, while the train was travelling through Cheshire towards Manchester Piccadilly railway station.
According to the police, Odutola approached the woman, looked her over in an intimidating manner and became aggressive when she declined to engage with him.
The force said he subsequently exposed himself while sitting in a wheelchair and masturbated as he stared at the woman, while also telling her to “come over”.
Another passenger, who was reportedly distressed by the incident, helped the woman leave the carriage. CCTV footage later showed Odutola continuing the act while other passengers moved through the carriage.
Police officers arrested him after the train arrived at Manchester Piccadilly station, with investigators subsequently gathering CCTV footage and witness statements.
British Transport Police Detective Constable Leonidas Christoforou said the incident would have been frightening for the woman, who was travelling alone.
He said Odutola initially denied the allegations during questioning but eventually admitted the offences in court after investigators presented evidence gathered during the probe.
Christoforou added that the incident was not the first involving Odutola, who was already listed on the sex offenders’ register, stressing that such behaviour would not be tolerated on the UK railway network.
He also urged passengers who experience or witness sexual offences on trains to report them to the British Transport Police through its designated reporting channels.
The police said the investigation resulted in Odutola being jailed within 72 hours of the incident.
