A 24-year-old man who sexually assaulted a teenage schoolgirl has been jailed for 15 months and will be deported on his release.
Harvinder Singh, 24, of Minterne Avenue, Southall, was sentenced at Isleworth Crown Court on Friday (June 5) to nine months’ imprisonment for sexual assault, and 15 months’ imprisonment for causing a person to engage in sexual activity without consent.
Singh will also be placed on the Sexual Offenders’ Register for 10 years, according to a Met Police statement.
He pleaded guilty to the charges and the sentences are to run concurrently.
A 15-year-old girl was on her way to school on a Route 120 bus, between Hounslow and Southall, at around 7am on February 11. Singh sat next to her and began to touch her before forcibly making her commit acts of a sexual nature, police said.
The victim managed to press the stop button and got away from Singh. She left the bus but Singh also got off and followed her as far as her school where she was able to report the incident, police added.
Officers interviewed the victim and secured vital DNA evidence.
The offence was then investigated by specialist officers who identified Singh through on-bus CCTV and arrested him the following day.
Singh gave a 'no comment' interview but was charged with sexual assault and remanded in custody where he remained until his trial, police said.
Detective Superintendent Adnan Qureshi, from the Roads and Transport Policing Command, said: “This was an excellent result, which has seen the perpetrator of an appalling crime receive a lengthy time in jail and deportation on release.
“If you commit an offence on the transport network, we will pursue and arrest you.”
Steve Burton, Transport for London’s (TfL) director of enforcement and on-street operations, said, after the sentencing: “We take crimes of this nature incredibly seriously.
“Thanks to the bravery of this victim in reporting this terrible offence the police were able to track down and subsequently help convict this predatory criminal.
“If anyone experiences any unwanted sexual behaviour on our transport network, I would urge them to report it to the police by texting 61016 or calling 101.
“As this case shows, we are successfully prosecuting offenders on the network and all reports will be thoroughly investigated.”
Singh’s identification and conviction was the result of an investigation by the Met Police Service’s Roads and Transport Policing Command, which is part-funded by TfL.
