Commuter kicked and verbally abused by stranger on tube said 'nobody helped'

25 June 2024 , 17:13

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The British Transport Police is aware of the incident (Image: Scarlett Owens / SWNS)

A woman says people on the London Underground did nothing to help her when she was kicked and verbally abused by a stranger.

Scarlett Owens had begun her journey from London to Liverpool to see family when she says she was “booted” by a man as she was sitting on the Northern Line. Scarlett, 23, said the incident occurred randomly. She said the incident brought her to tears and she is "still in shock" by what happened and also said she reported it to the British Transport Police. Scarlett claims the man, who she has never seen before, started shouting at her but she wasn't able to understand him due to his "strong accent".

Now Scarlett says she is scared to get the tube on her own as she is worried a similar incident will occur. Scarlett, an influencer manager, from Tooting, south London, said: "I was just sitting on my own. It was not busy when this guy gets on the train and boots me in the leg and starts shouting at me for no reason. When the train started moving, he walked down the train a little and continued to verbally harass me.

Scarlett says she is now scared to get the tube on her own (Steven Owens / SWNS)

Scarlett said the incident made her cry (Steven Owens / SWNS)

The incident, Scarlett said, occurred on June 10 this year. She said it had left her with a bruise on her leg. She added: “I don’t even know how long it went on for, I was completely frozen, and it was a whirlwind… I couldn’t understand what he was saying because he had a strong foreign accent. He did not seem drunk as he was very composed and did not slur at all.”

Scarlett claims no one on the tube offered to help her and instead they sat around and watched. “No one came to see if I was OK,” she said. “I made eye contact with a guy opposite me, and he just shrugged. I don’t expect anyone to do anything because it happened so quickly, and I get no one wants to get involved, but even after it happened everyone acted like it was normal.

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'I made eye contact with a guy opposite me, and he just shrugged' (Steven Owens / SWNS)

"The adrenaline kicked in at the time and I moved down the train and just burst into tears. When I got off the train, I just went straight to my flat (in Liverpool), acting normal but in total shock. My family were shocked and saddened to hear about the incident. I was cautious to go on public transport alone anyway, but now I feel even more so.”

Once she got home, Scarlett contacted the British Transport Police who sent her a form to fill a report out but she says she has not received a response yet. A spokesperson from the British Transport Police said: "Officers are investigating a report of physical and verbal abuse on board a Northern line tube service at around 8pm on 10 June. Enquiries into this incident are ongoing. Anyone with information can get in touch by texting 61016 or calling 0800 405040 quoting reference 2400075040."

Benjamin Lynch