UK court jails Nigerian man for masturbating in front of woman in Manchester-bound train

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 the presence of a woman on a train bound for Manchester.

Odutola was handed the sentence by Manchester Magistrates’ Court on Monday, September 14, after he pleaded guilty to a charge of outraging public decency and breaching a suspended sentence order.

The British Transport Police said in a statement on Thursday that the incident happened at about 7pm on Friday, September 11, aboard a train travelling through Cheshire towards Manchester Piccadilly railway station.

According to the police, Odutola approached the woman and “looked her up and down intimidatingly” before becoming aggressive when she declined to engage with him.

The police said he subsequently exposed himself while seated in a wheelchair and masturbated while staring at the woman and asking her to “come over”.

Another passenger, who was distressed by what was happening, intervened and escorted the woman away from the carriage.

CCTV footage later showed Odutola continuing the act as other passengers moved through the carriage, according to the police.

He was arrested by British Transport Police officers when the train arrived at Manchester Piccadilly station.

Commenting on the incident, Detective Constable Leonidas Christoforou said the victim, who was travelling alone, must have been terrified by Odutola’s conduct.

“Odutola is clearly an incredibly dangerous individual and his disturbing behaviour must have been terrifying for the victim, who he singled out when she was travelling on her own,” he said.

Christoforou added that Odutola initially denied the allegations during a police interview but eventually admitted guilt in court after investigators presented evidence against him.

“He’s shown little remorse for his actions and denied the allegations against him during his police interview. But a stack of incriminating evidence, including damning CCTV and several witness accounts, left him with little choice but to plead guilty when he appeared in court,” he said.

The police disclosed that the incident was not the first involving Odutola, who was already listed as a registered sex offender.

“This was not a one-off from Odutola, who was already a registered sex offender, and this type of alarming, predatory behaviour simply will not be tolerated on our railways,” Christoforou said.

He said the British Transport Police remained committed to prosecuting individuals involved in sexual offences on the railway network.

“Holding vile offenders like him to account is a number one priority for us as a force and we’re tireless in our efforts to bring them to justice,” he said.

Christoforou encouraged passengers and other members of the public to report sexual offences witnessed or experienced while travelling by rail.

“If you experience or witness these crimes on the railway, please report it to us by texting 61016. We will always take action,” he said.

The British Transport Police said the investigation culminated in Odutola’s conviction and imprisonment within 72 hours of the incident.