Man who grabbed woman's hair and asked for kiss sentenced in legal first

A man has been given a community order after being convicted in a first-of-its-kind sex-based harassment prosecution brought by the British Transport Police.

David Stroud grabbed a woman's hair and asked if he could kiss her on an evening train to London from Hastings, East Sussex.

He was arrested two days after a new law banning harassment motivated by a person's sex came into force on 1 April.

The 44-year-old, from Dartford in Kent, had pleaded guilty at Highbury Corner Magistrates' Court in May.

Tuesday's hearing was the first criminal sentencing of its kind in England and Wales.

In a victim impact statement, the woman said she had felt "trapped, powerless and petrified".

"I always feel the need to have company when I leave the house now," she said. "I can never truly go anywhere on my own, simply because I'm a woman."

Stroud had previously admitted to a separate 22-month stalking campaign, the court heard on Tuesday.

He had been on bail for stalking when he harassed the victim on the train.

Stroud was sentenced for both offences on Tuesday. He was told to complete a 15-day rehabilitation programme, 150 hours of unpaid work, and given a 12-month community order.

The court previously heard Stroud sat next to the woman, who was on the phone to her boyfriend at the time, on the train.

He was "constantly leaning" on her and called the woman "magical", it was told.

Stroud then grabbed her hair, which the victim "perceived to be sexual", the court also heard.

In her statement, the woman - who detailed she was a childhood sexual abuse survivor - said the incident left her "paralysed with fear".

She had told Stroud to stop, but he continued talking to her before asking: "Can I kiss you?".

The woman replied "absolutely not", the court heard.

She said Stroud's breath smelt of alcohol.

"Imagine as a young woman of small stature when a large, drunk man tries to sit on top of you," the woman added in her statement.

"I was an unwilling recipient of this kind of contact towards me."

The woman's boyfriend contacted British Transport Police after hearing the comments over the phone.

Stroud was later arrested by officers at London Bridge railway station.

Speaking before his court appearance on Tuesday, the victim said: "Some men may see this case and dismiss David Stroud's actions as banter or just someone being drunk, but they don't have the same fears as women.

"This justice proves it's worth reporting to police.

"Nothing is going to change if these crimes are not reported and go unpunished."

The offence which Stroud was convicted of falls under the 1986 Public Order Act.

It covers intentional harassment directed at someone because of their sex, including where perpetrators target women and girls in public places, including streets, parks and public transport.

British Transport Police said they had made 26 arrests - all men - for the offence since it was introduced two months ago.

Olivia Rose, from the Crown Prosecution Service, called Stroud's sentencing a "landmark case" that "signals an important step forward in protecting women and girls".

"We will continue to... make sure everyone can feel safe going about their daily lives."