Nigerian registered sex offender jailed in UK for masturbating before woman on train
By Dally Iyamu
A Nigerian man and registered sex offender, Babatunde Odutola, has been jailed in the United Kingdom after exposing himself and masturbating in front of a woman on a train travelling towards Manchester.
Odutola, 36, of no fixed address, was sentenced to 44 weeks in prison at Manchester Magistrates’ Court on Monday, September 14, after pleading guilty to outraging public decency and breaching a suspended sentence order.
The incident occurred at about 7pm on Friday, September 11, on a train travelling through Cheshire towards Manchester Piccadilly railway station.
According to the British Transport Police (BTP), Odutola approached a woman on the train, looked her up and down and became aggressive after she refused to engage with him.
He subsequently exposed himself while sitting in a wheelchair and began masturbating while staring at the woman and telling her to “come over”.
A fellow passenger intervened and escorted the distressed woman away from the carriage.
Police said CCTV footage showed that Odutola continued the act as other passengers walked through the carriage.
BTP officers arrested him after the train arrived at Manchester Piccadilly.
He was subsequently prosecuted and jailed within 72 hours of the incident.
Detective Constable Leonidas Christoforou of the British Transport Police said Odutola’s behaviour had been “terrifying” for the victim, whom he allegedly singled out while she was travelling alone.
“He’s shown little remorse for his actions and denied the allegations against him during his police interview,” Christoforou said.
He added that CCTV footage and witness accounts provided evidence against Odutola, who eventually pleaded guilty in court.
Christoforou said the incident was not the first involving Odutola, who was already a registered sex offender.
He added that the British Transport Police would continue to take action against offenders involved in such behaviour on the railway.
The force urged passengers who experience or witness similar incidents to report them by texting 61016.
