A 50-year-old man from Tajikistan has been jailed for 12 years after he sexually assaulted a vulnerable girl on a train.
Abdulmanon Aliev, who was living in Rye Lane in Peckham, south-east London, tried to use a translator app to speak to the girl after sitting down opposite her on a train from Southend to London on the afternoon of 16 June last year.
She moved away but he followed her, sitting in an aisle seat so she was blocked in by the window, British Transport Police (BTP) said.
He subjected her to a prolonged sexual assault until the train arrived at London Fenchurch Street where she was able to escape and flee on to another train heading out of London and raise the alarm.
Officers from British Transport Police arrested Aliev 11 days later when he was seen by plain-clothes officers in Peckham.
His home was searched and the clothes that he had been wearing on the day were seized, and he was charged the next day.
Aliev was found guilty in April of attempted rape, two counts of assault by penetration and three counts of sexual assault.
On Tuesday, he was sentenced to 12 years in prison with two years on licence at Inner London Crown Court, and he will be a registered sex offender for life.
BTP Detective Constable Elizabeth Cahill said: “Aliev singled out a vulnerable child and subjected her to one of the most abhorrent sexual assaults I’ve ever investigated.
“While the focus of attention will rightly be on him as the despicable sexual predator that he is, I want to pay tribute to the brave victim who reported him to police.
“His conviction and 12-year jail term would not have been possible without her account of what happened and her willingness to support our investigation.
“We take every sexual offence report extremely seriously, and we’ll stop at nothing to ensure vile offenders like Aliev are put behind bars where they belong.”
