A man who sexually assaulted three lone women on board trains has been sentenced to 14 months in prison, following a British Transport Police (BTP) investigation.

Hailu Getemariam, 24, of Southend Lane, London, appeared at Inner London Crown Court where he was found guilty of three counts of sexual assault.

On 15 November 2023 he was sentenced to 14 months imprisonment. He was also handed a 5 year Sexual Harm Prevention Order and ordered to sign the Sex Offenders Register for 10 years.

The conditions of the Sexual Harm Prevention Order prohibits Getemariam from:

• Travelling on any form of public transport in the London transport network unless using an Oystercard registered in his name to pay for the entirety of his journey.
• Sitting immediately next to, touching, or making any attempts to communicate with any female unknown to him when travelling on any network or within any main line, London Underground, or Docklands Light Railway Station in the UK, unless not reasonably avoidable in the course of lawful daily life, such as in a genuine emergency.

The court heard how on 25 March 2023, the victim was travelling alone on a quiet train towards Beckenham Hill station when Getemariam boarded and took a seat beside her, despite there being several seats elsewhere.

Getemariam sexually assaulted the victim throughout the 10 – 15 minute journey. She reported feeling scared and blocked in by him due to the proximity of their seats.
As the victim attempted to leave the train at Beckenham Hill, Getemariam also departed the service. The victim confronted him and told him to leave her alone otherwise she would call the police.

Less than a month later, on 18 April, on board a Northern line train between London Bridge and Balham Underground, Getemariam assaulted a second victim.

The victim reported boarding a busy service where Getemariam stood behind her. He used the busy train as a cover to sexually assault her. She was able to move further away from, however he sexually assaulted her again.

Just over three weeks later, on 10 May, a third victim boarded a Jubilee line train between Westminster and London Bridge when – despite there being plenty of space on the train – Getemariam intruded on her personal space and sexually assaulted her.

After moving away, the victim then witnessed him sexually assault another woman. Following this, she filmed Getemariam and took pictures of him.

Detectives from British Transport Police followed several lines of enquiries including using CCTV identification to link the three offences and once he was identified, circulated that he was wanted for questioning. On 15 May 2023 Getemariam was subsequently arrested. 

Detective Constable Tom Bolton, investigating officer in the case, said: “Getemariam is a disgusting and callous predator, who took advantage of the rail network to sexually assault multiple women.

“The bravery of these three victims coming forward highlights how important each report to British Transport Police is. By linking the three reports together, despite his not guilty plea, the evidence spoke for itself and he was found guilty.

“Vile behaviour like Getemariam’s will not be tolerated on the rail network and we are dedicated to tackling offences like this.

“If you are a victim of, or a witness to, a sexual offence on the railway – I urge you to report it to BTP by texting 61016 or via the Railway Guardian app. We will always take you seriously.”