A 50-year-old man who pursued and sexually assaulted a teenage girl aboard a London-bound service after attempting conversation through a smartphone translation application faces sentencing next month following his conviction on multiple serious sexual offence charges.
Abdulmanon Aliev will be sentenced 17 June after Inner London Crown Court jurors this week found him guilty of two assault by penetration counts, three sexual assault charges and attempted rape relating to the 16 June attack on the Southend-to-London service.
The Tajikistan national initially approached his 13-year-old victim whilst seated opposite her during the journey, using a translator app attempting communication before she moved seats to distance herself from the unwanted attention.
Aliev followed the child to her new location, positioning himself in an aisle seat that blocked her escape route by the window before forcing himself upon her during what British Transport Police described as a prolonged assault continuing until the train arrived at London Fenchurch Street station.
The teenager managed escaping upon arrival, boarding another outbound service whilst leaving Aliev behind at the terminus before reporting her ordeal to members of the public who encountered her in a distressed state and subsequently alerted authorities.
British Transport Police’s Major, Serious and Organised Crime team launched investigations culminating in a manhunt that concluded 27 June when plain-clothes officers spotted Aliev in Peckham, south London, where he now resides.
Footage captured his detention on the busy street, with subsequent home searches seizing clothing worn during the offences and charges authorised the following day.
Detective Constable Elizabeth Cahill praised the victim’s courage throughout proceedings: “Aliev singled out a vulnerable child and subjected her to one of the most abhorrent sexual assaults I’ve ever investigated.”
She emphasised focus should remain on Aliev as “the despicable sexual predator that he is” whilst paying “tribute to the brave victim who reported him to police.”
“This verdict would not have been possible without her account of what happened and her willingness to support our investigation,” DC Cahill stated, adding: “We take every sexual offence report extremely seriously, and we’ll stop at nothing to put offenders like Aliev before the courts.”
The victim and her family received specialist officer support throughout the investigation and court proceedings.
The conviction represents successful conclusion to BTP’s systematic investigation tracking Aliev following the June assault, with detectives gathering evidence including witness statements, CCTV footage and forensic material connecting him to the attack.
Aliev’s use of translation technology to initiate contact with his victim demonstrates predatory behaviour targeting vulnerable children on public transport networks.
