A man who sexually assaulted a woman at Tottenham Hale Railway Station has been spared prison time after claiming he mistook her for his ex-partner.

Tomas Litvaitis, 44, from Montcalm Road in Charlton, was with a friend at the train station when the incident occurred. The court heard that Litvaitis came behind the victim, who was standing on the right-hand side of an escalator, and touched her bottom and vagina through her clothes. The young woman shouted at him, prompting his friend to inquire about her well-being before they both walked away.

Following the assault, the victim reported the incident to the station supervisor and then confronted Litvaitis outside the station, where he was smoking. She took a photograph of Litvaitis and his friend before reporting the incident to the police.

The incident took place at approximately 9 pm on August 11, 2022.

Litvaitis was arrested two months later and told the police that he had mistaken the victim for his ex-partner from behind and touched her on the leg. He claimed that when she shouted at him, he thought she was mentally ill.

The victim, who was sexually assaulted, expressed feeling vulnerable and disgusted by Litvaitis’s actions, stating that it made her feel small. She emphasized that she should not be made to feel this way and that she had been sexually assaulted on a previous occasion.

Litvaitis, who works as a supervisor for a team clearing houses in the Bromley area at the end of tenancies, pleaded guilty to sexual assault. On January 2, 2024, he appeared at Inner London Crown Court for sentencing.

During the court hearing, Judge Jane Rowley expressed concern about the misogynistic attitude exhibited in some individuals, stating that Litvaitis’s claim of mistaking the victim for his ex-partner was not believable, as he is married with children in Lithuania. She asked Litvaitis, who was not represented in court, to explain himself.

Through an interpreter, Litvaitis apologized, stating, “I don’t really know what to say. I’m very sorry. You can’t treat women like that. I’m sorry.”

Litvaitis was sentenced to a community order involving 120 hours of unpaid work and 30 days of rehabilitation activity. He was also ordered to pay £500 in compensation to the victim and to sign the sex offenders register for five years.