A 20-YEAR-OLD from Harrow who viciously beat a fellow rail passenger who politely asked him to stop being a nuisance has been jailed for 30 months.
Headphone-wearing Najibullah Jannati, of Hindes Road, was waiting for a train at Harrow and Wealdstone Station on June 27 last year when his eventual victim, a 28-year-old woman, motioned to him to cease tapping his beer bottle against the platform bench they shared.
"From what was a simple request, Jannati became aggressive and verbally abusive towards the victim, making lewd and sexual remarks," said British Transport Police (BTP) Detective Constable Tony Gittins.
The train arrived and Jannati and the woman boarded different carriages but during the journey he wandered through the train and purposely took a seat behind her.
At Carpenders Park Station, the victim alighted and was followed out of the station by the defendant.
While she climbing a flight of stairs, Jannati ran up from behind her and callously punched her in the face before fleeing.
Such was the force of the blow that the woman fell down the stairs and broke her nose and a fractured her left cheekbone.
Security camera stills were distributed as part of a later media appeal and Jannati was arrested following tip-offs by the public.
He was sentenced at Blackfriars Crown Court on Tuesday last week (June 7) having earlier admitted causing grievous bodily harm.
Det Con Gittins said: "This was a shocking and vicious assault that appalled the public when the CCTV footage was released in the media.
"I am pleased that the courts have recognised the severity of Jannatis actions and decided to jail him for a substantial amount of time.
"The railways are an extremely low-crime environment and I hope this sentence sends out a clear message that BTP will not tolerate any form of violence on the network.
"I would particularly like to extend my thanks to the local residents who helped to identify Jannati, including a businessman who offered a reward to find him.
"If it wasnt for their assistance Jannati might still be on the streets preying on vulnerable victims."
