A 50-year-old man has been sentenced to 20 months in prison after he sexually assaulted a woman on a train, following a British Transport Police investigation.

Body worn footage shows the moment BTP officers intercepted the train as it arrived at Reading station, identified the man, and swiftly arrested him.

Edgar Junior, 50, and of Barnsdale Road, Reading, pleaded guilty to sexual assault at Reading Crown Court on 12 January.

On 17 July he was sentenced to 20 months in prison and handed a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) for ten years which prevents him subjecting women or girls to unwanted attention and drinking alcohol in a public place.

On 28 March 2022 at around, Junior boarded an Elizabeth Line train at Paddington and sat in the two seats opposite the victim.

He began pointing at the victim and making sexualised comments to her, causing another passenger to challenge him and tell him to leave her alone.

The passenger left the carriage and Junior sexually assaulted the victim before continuing to make further sexualised comments and gestures.

His behaviour caught the attention of a second passenger who attempted to speak to the victim and sat with her for reassurance.

The victim left the train and Junior was seen to continue approaching other women on the train and making them uncomfortable.

It was reported to British Transport Police who intercepted the train at Reading, identified him and arrested him at the scene.

Detective Inspector Marvin Bruno said: “Junior is a disturbing individual who subjected a woman to a brazen and persistent sexual assault as she was travelling on a train alone, and the custodial sentence he’s been handed shows just how seriously these offences are taken.

“I am thankful to the bystanders who recognised his revolting behaviour and stepped in to help, before reporting it to police immediately which allowed our officers to then intercept the train and arrest him.

“I cannot emphasise enough the importance of saving our text number 61016 in your phone. If you ever witness or experience behaviour like this you can text us discreetly and the message will come through in real time to our control room who can dispatch officers to a location if required. We will always take you seriously.”

(Source: British Transport Police)