Flasher who targeted lone woman caught at city station
HE WAS ALSO IN POSSESSION
OF KNIFE WHEN APPREHENDED
A MAN was arrested at Leicester railway station days after he had indecently exposed himself to a lone woman as she waited for her train.
Steven Ross pulled his trousers and underwear down and exposed himself to the woman at Kettering railway station on Tuesday, March 30.
Six days later, staff at the station spotted the 26-year-old boarding a train and alerted British Transport Police (BTP), whose officers intercepted him when the service stopped in Leicester.
Officers searched Ross and found he was carrying a knife.
Ross appeared at Leicester Magistrates’ Court and was found guilty of exposure and being in possession of a bladed article in a public place.
He was jailed and placed on the sex offenders register, BTP said.
The force released details of the case, and said the court heard that the 23-year-old woman had been on board a train had which terminated at Kettering station.
As she waited on the platform for the next train, she noticed Ross was sitting on a bench nearby. A few minutes passed before she realised he had pulled down his clothing and was exposing and touching himself, police said.
He continued the act while looking at the victim before she walked away and phoned a friend, who advised her to call the police.
The woman found two members of rail staff and told them what had happened. One of them escorted the woman to a train for her safety.
Ross was not detained at the time. However, staff then spotted him boarding a train at Kettering station on Monday, April 5.
They informed BTP and its officers met the train in Leicester and arrested Ross.
Ross was taken to custody where he was found to be in possession of a kitchen knife and was therefore further arrested for possession of a bladed article.
Detective Constable Philip Burn, of BTP, said: “This was a disgraceful and shocking incident during which a lone female was subjected to behaviour that no one should witness in a public place.
“Due to the victim’s actions of reporting the incident to rail staff and the police, it resulted in the male suspect being identified, arrested and sentenced all within eight days of the offence occurring, making the rail network a safer place for the travelling public.
“I would like to thank the members of rail staff who supported the victim immediately after the incident, and for their fast actions in calling the police when they recognised Ross boarding a train.
“I would like to encourage victims and witnesses of any type of sexual behaviour to report it by texting us discretely on 61016 or calling 999 in an emergency.
“No report is too small, and we will always take you seriously.”
Ross, of Northampton, was jailed for 16 weeks - six weeks for the exposure offence and 10 weeks for possession of a bladed article.
He will be on the sex offenders’ register for seven years.