‘I felt numb, in shock and froze’ – shocking rise in sex assaults on trains revealed… check how safe your local line is
MARTA Vasyuta was was taking the Tube with her friend to London Bridge when a man sat next to her.
The 23-year-old digital manager tells The Sun: “At first he started looking at me weirdly and I smelled the alcohol on him.
“He kept creeping at us so I started filming him, that was the moment he started touching me.
“I got frozen for a moment, not knowing what to do, no one around me reacted in any way too.”
Fearful to say anything to her attacker over what he might do, Marta and her friend quickly left the carriage at the next stop.
Cases like Marta’s are becoming increasingly common, with sexual assaults on train networks up seven per cent from last year, a Sun probe can reveal.
Figures from the British Transport Police showed that recorded sexual assaults on public transport increased from 1,676 cases in 2023/24 to 1,799 cases in 2024/25.
Ciara Bergman, CEO of Rape Crisis England & Wales, a charity that seeks to end sexual violence, told us: ”Every day, millions of people use UK railways to get to work, take their children to school, and go about their daily lives.
“It should go without saying that anyone doing so should not experience or witness sexual assault or harassment, or be in fear of this.
“And yet what these statistics illustrate, is just how prevalent sexual violence, abuse and harassment are on public transport, and that women and girls are particularly at risk.”
What is even more worrying is that these offenders will often physically attack their victims in violent outbursts.
This happened to Scarlett Owens, a 24-year-old partnerships coordinator, who was riding on the Northern Line in London.
She told us: “I was sat on the Tube near the door on a quiet carriage with my head down and a man got on and started kicking and shouting at me.
“I made eye contact with someone opposite me after the incident and they simply shrugged.”
The wider picture
Data shows that there were just under 700 recorded sexual assaults on the London Underground alone, accounting for 40 per cent of all cases in 2024/25.
But this is far from a London problem, with Network Rail being the worst offender overall with a shocking 148 recorded sexual assaults in 2024/25.
Nikita Do Espírito Santo, a student at Loughborough University, was on a quiet first class carriage on an Avanti West Coach Train on her way to watch Aston Villa with her boyfriend.
As her boyfriend went to the toilet a man sat close to her and started staring at her as she did her make-up.
She told The Sun: “I messaged my boyfriend how long he would be and moved seats as I didn’t feel comfortable.
“My boyfriend stared him down and he stopped looking at me through the crack of the seats.
“Had he not been there, I was the only female left in that carriage and I have no idea what would have happened.”
Now, Nikita no longer feels safe walking around without a male companion.
Worryingly, the request also revealed that there were 21 assaults by penetration in 2024/25, up 20 per cent from 2021, although rapes are counted separately.
This comes as the British Transport Police continued an appeal for information regarding the sexual assault and rape of a 14-year-old-girl in the toilets of Harlow Town Railway Station in Essex.
The offence took place in the early hours of Sunday February 18 2024 between 2:30am and 4.40am.
The appeal includes a CCTV image of a man who officers believe may have information which could help their investigation.
What needs to be done
A spokesperson from the Survivors Trust, a charity supporting victims of rape and sexual abuse throughout the UK, said: “There is no surprise to hear of the increase in the number of sexual assaults on the public transport system given the level of violence against women and girls has reached epidemic levels in England and Wales.
“The British Transport Police have introduced some positive measures to combat crime, such as the successful ‘See it. Say it. Sorted’ campaign.
“However, police resources to tackle these crimes are stretched which only serves to benefit the perpetrators of these offences.”
Both Nikita and Marta say they were left frustrated by the response from the British Transport Police.
Nikita said she received no follow-up to her calls and emails, and Marta suggested that if victims were confident justice would be served they would be more likely to contact the police.
Both are adamant that what is needed is an increased staff presence in carriages and a more effective justice system.
Detective Chief Inspector of the British Transport Police, Nia Mellor, told The Sun: “Tackling sexual offences is our top priority, and we take every report of sexual harassment or violence extremely seriously.
“We know that these crimes commonly go under reported, which is why we relentlessly campaign to encourage witnesses and victims to report these offences to us.
“We view this increase as a positive sign that our efforts are paying off, and that women and girls are feeling more confident to report all forms of sexual harassment and violence on the rail network to us.”
How to report a sexual assault
- Contact a doctor or practice nurse at your GP surgery.
- Contact a voluntary organisation, such as Rape Crisis, Women’s Aid, Victim Support, The Survivors Trust or Male Survivors Partnership.
- Call the 24-hour freephone National Domestic Abuse Helpline, run by Refuge, on 0808 2000 247.
- Speak to the rape and sexual abuse support line run by Rape Crisis England and Wales – you can call the helpline on 0808 500 2222 or use the online chat (both are free and are open 24 hours a day, every day of the year).