Man Sentenced for Sexual Assault on Local Overground Train
Guilty of "repulsive behaviour" while travelling from Imperial Wharf to Clapham
A man has been placed on the sex offenders' register and given a suspended jail sentence after sexually assaulting a woman on board an Overground train travelling between Fulham and Clapham.
Wimbledon resident Borja De Zuloaga struck on Friday October 31. The victim, a 26-year-old woman, boarded a crowded train with a colleague at Fulham's Imperial Wharf Station around 7.30pm.
While she stood she felt someone brushing their hand over her dress across her left buttock area. Initially the victim thought this was an accident, but then felt fingers of the hand pressing into her left thigh area over her tights. The hand then moved under her dress and was stroking her left buttock over her tights.
The woman tried to move to avoid contact with De Zuloaga, but his hand remained in place. De Zuloaga's hand then moved across to her right buttock and he started to grope it again under her dress, but over her tights.
As the train arrived at Clapham Junction, and people started to get off, the victim could still feel the hand on her buttocks. She twisted to her left and reached behind her, grabbing hold of De Zuloaga's wrists, and removed his hand from touching her. He then pulled his hand away and then went past the woman and left the train.
Following an investigation by British Transport Police, officers identified De Zuloaga through CCTV images.
De Zuloaga was arrested and following an interview was charged with sexual assault and remanded in custody.
Borja De Zuloaga was sentenced at Wimbledon magistrates’ court on Tuesday, January 13, after he pleaded guilty to the charge at an earlier hearing on Saturday, December 13.
Detective constable Andrew Parkinson says: "This was repulsive behaviour by De Zuloaga on a very busy and crowded train. He took advantage of the space that he was in an assaulted his victim, I am pleased he has been bought to justice."
De Zuloaga was also sentenced to 20 weeks' in prison, suspended for 18 months, ordered to pay £120 compensation to the victim and £85 in costs. He was also banned from working with children and given a 12 month supervision order.
January 16, 2015
