LONDON BUS SEX ATTACKER AVOIDS JAIL AFTER 'DESPICABLE' ASSAULT
A man named Tharmalingam Sivagaran, aged 44 and from Harrow, was involved in an incident on March 28 last year where he subjected a young woman to a 'despicable' sex assault on a London bus.The woman, who was 22 at the time, was looking out of the window when Sivagaran inappropriately rubbed against her.
She turned around to face him, and he apologized.
However, shortly after, the assault continued as he began to touch her again, pushed her against the window, and placed a finger on her inner thigh.
The woman managed to escape by sliding past her attacker and called police.
Following a three-day trial at Wood Green Crown Court, Sivagaran was found guilty of sexual assault by touching.
He was sentenced to a 12-month community order and ordered to complete 150 hours of unpaid work.
PC Neil Webb described the attack as 'despicable' and praised the victim’s bravery for coming forward, stating, 'This was a despicable offence against a vulnerable young woman and I hope this sentence shows how seriously the police and courts take this crime.' TfL's Head of Transport Policing, Siwan Hayward, commended the victim for her courage and emphasized that London's transport network is a hostile environment for sex offenders, promising that offenders will be identified and brought to justice.
