Terror At The Train Station
Celia was only trying to help...
Hearing the taxi pull up, I slipped on my high heels and raced outside. ‘I’ll lock up,’ said my flatmate Alex Wells, 18.
In the cab, I applied another coat of lipgloss with a buzz of excitement.
‘Can you take us to the city centre?’ Alex asked the driver, telling him our favourite student bar.
It was November last year and I was a fresher at university.
Originally from Alicante in Spain, I’d always wanted to live in the UK.
The year before, I’d applied to Nottingham University to do a degree in Psychology. I loved learning about how people’s minds worked.
Having been in Nottingham since last September, I’d made loads of friends already and lived in student accommodation with four others. I liked the studying, but being a fresher was all about having fun. We were always clubbing, tried not to miss too many lectures!
Felt sorry for him
Now it was a typical Friday night and a group of us ended up in a nightclub.
As the hours whizzed by, I danced away in my high heels. Having the time of my life. It was 2am when we finally left the club and went to Mcdonald’s.
As we sat chatting, a homeless man walked in and smiled at us.
‘Do you mind if I sit here?’ he asked.
He seemed friendly, so we bought him food and he joined our conversation. When it was time to leave, he asked for help catching a train to London.
‘My wife and children live there, I haven’t seem them for a long time,’ he said sadly.
I felt sorry for him, so Alex
We bought the homeless man food, he seemed friendly
and I agreed to help.
The man had a bank card, so he drew out some money in the station. Then we sat on a bench on the platform while Alex ran to check the train times.
Suddenly, the man leaned in close. It was dark, so I didn’t see his hand reaching over until he touched me between my legs.
‘We could have a good time,’ he grinned.
I felt his breath on my face and froze, just wishing it would end. Then he tried to force my hand towards his crotch.
I pulled away, sickened, and ran to
Alex, tears streaming down my face.
‘What’s wrong?’ he gasped.
‘Just find a taxi, quickly,’ I sobbed.
In tears
We stood in the taxi queue, Alex with his arms around me protectively.
When I looked up, the man was nearby, smiling at me. Finally, we got a taxi.
‘He touched me,’ I blurted the moment we pulled away.
Alex looked confused, then sick. Through my tears, I told him what had happened.
We got home 10 minutes later, where some of my flatmates were chatting in the kitchen.
Seeing my red, blotchy face, they fell silent.
Alex told them everything. ‘You’ve got to go to the police,’ they all said.
But it was the middle of the night and I just wanted to sleep...
But, lying in bed, I was disgusted.
How dare he do that to me? I’d only wanted to help him!
The next morning, all of us got the bus to the police station.
Thinking about telling the story again, I started to cry, so Alex explained it to them.
I suddenly remembered the homeless man had gone to the cash machine.
‘That should help us find him,’ the officer reassured me. Then she thanked me for being so brave.
But I left the station feeling naive.
I’d learned the hard way that not everyone is as nice as they first seem.
I couldn’t concentrate in lectures, but my tutor was so supportive when I told her why.
The train station CCTV had captured what happened, so the British Transport Police launched an investigation.
A month later, at the start of the Christmas holidays, I had a phone call from the police.
My attacker had been arrested and charged with sexual assault.
‘His name is Soheail Sabir, he’s known to us already,’ said the officer.
I felt my anxiety lifting. I went home to my family in Spain over Christmas, excited to have a break.
I’d told them what had happened, so they were relieved to finally see me.
I learned that not everyone is as nice as they seem
Still shocked
After Christmas, I started the new term feeling stronger. ‘I’m so proud of you,’ said Alex. What happened had brought us closer. In February we became a couple.
Sabir, 50, appeared at Leicester Crown Court this March, where he pleaded guilty to a charge of sexual assault on a girl over the age of 13.
I chose not to go – I never wanted to see his face again.
A month later, he was jailed for 14 months.
Knowing he could no longer prey on young women, I was glad I’d gone to the police.
I now work with a group from my university, patrolling the city centre and making sure young people get home safely.
But I’m still shocked when I recall what Sabir did, especially when I was trying to help him.
So much for karma.