Drunk train passenger sexually assaulted woman after saying he wanted to sleep with her
by Sara Nichol · ChronicleLiveA drunk passenger sexually assaulted a lone woman before telling her he wanted to sleep with her as they travelled on a train between London King's Cross and Newcastle.
The victim was unfortunate enough to be sitting beside James Crawford as they travelled on a service between London King's Cross and Newcastle and she quickly noticed he was heavily intoxicated. A court heard that the 37-year-old called her "beautiful" and said he wanted to sleep with her before he touched her thigh.
When challenged, the persistent man then placed the palm of his hand on another area of her thigh and leaned closer to her when she told him to stop, prosecutors said. Crawford then ordered a cup of tea from a refreshment trolley, which he accidentally spilled over the victim.
Another train passenger saw that the woman was in tears and reported what had been going on to a train manager, who pulled her aside and contacted the police. Crawford, of Gierdlers Road, in London, was arrested as he got off the train at Newcastle Central Station.
Now, Crawford has been given a 12-month community order and must sign the Sex Offenders Register for five years after he pleaded guilty to one count of sexual assault. Jonathan Stirland, prosecuting at Newcastle Magistrates' Court, said Crawford and the victim boarded the train separately at King's Cross on July 16 this year and had seat reservations that happened to be next to each other.
Mr Stirland said it was about 30 minutes into the journey that drunk Crawford began to make inappropriate comments by calling the woman beautiful and saying he wanted to sleep with her. When she challenged him then tried to ignore him by playing on her mobile, Crawford persisted in being a nuisance by trying to get her number and getting her to look him up on Instagram.
Mr Stirland continued: "He brushed his hand over he left thigh on a couple of occasions. She thought it was accidental contact between the two of them because of their close proximity and his intoxication.
"However, the touching continued and he touched her left thigh with his hand. The defendant is challenged about this and [the woman] said no. He then placed the palm of his hand on another part of her thigh.
"When she's said "stop", he said "what?" and leaned in closer to her seat." The court heard that a staff member with a refreshment trolley came down the aisle and Crawford bought a cup of tea, which he spilled on the victim.
Mr Stirland added: "An unknown member of public has approached the train manager to point out that the victim was, at this point, crying because of the defendant's inappropriate behaviour towards her. The train manager has taken the victim away and she has described what happened to her."
The court heard that Crawford only had one offence on his record, a drink-driving conviction, which he received just two weeks before the sexual assault. Jonathan Pigford, defending, said Crawford had been turning to alcohol after his mum was diagnosed with cancer and, on this occasion, had drank to excess in order to get some sleep on the train.
Mr Pigford said Crawford was "full of remorse" and, up until this year, had led a "blameless" and hardworking life. He'd also pleaded guilty and could understand the distress the victim must have felt.
Sentencing him and ordering him to pay the woman £350 in compensation, District Judge Paul Currer told Crawford: "You were drunk on that train having spent some time with your mother, who was ill. It seems you have resorted to alcohol too frequently.
"You fully accept your guilt and wrongdoing. You have expressed remorse for your behaviour. However, you were persistently frightening towards this woman and abusive, to some degree. You put her under pressure and placed your hand on her thigh, which was intimidating, as well as a sexual assault.
"It caused her a great deal of stress. It's a serious offence that requires serious consideration by the courts." Crawford was also ordered to abstain from alcohol for 90 days, which will be monitored to make sure he complies.
Join our WhatsApp communities
ChronicleLive is now on WhatsApp and we want you to join our communities.
We have a number of communities to join, so you can choose which one you want to be part of and we'll send you the latest news direct to your phone. You could even join them all!
To join you need to have WhatsApp on your device. All you need to do is choose which community you want to join, click on the link and press 'join community'.
No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the ChronicleLive team.
We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners.
If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'.
If you’re curious, you can read our privacy notice.
Join the ChronicleLive Breaking News and Top Stories community
Join our Court & Crime community
Join the Things to do in Newcastle and the North East community
Join our Northumberland community
Join our County Durham community
Join our Great North Run community