British Transport Police want to speak to a man pictured on CCTV who they believe may have information, five weeks after the assault on a morning rush-hour service
British Transport Police (BTP) have released a CCTV image of a man they want to speak to after a woman was sexually assaulted on a Central line train in east London. The woman boarded at Mile End station at about 8.05am on 29 September and was assaulted by a man who got on at the same time. Detectives say the man in the image may have information that could help their ongoing investigation. The appeal was published on Monday, 34 days after the incident. Police have not said he has been arrested or charged.
What police have said
According to BTP, the man got off at Bethnal Green station and then re-boarded the train through the next set of doors. Officers have not given a physical description, an age or clothing details, and the image is the only visual reference. They have not said whether he is the man who carried out the assault. His identity has not been made public.
Anyone who recognises him is asked to text BTP on 61016 or call 0800 40 50 40, quoting reference 2600131129 of 29 September. Information can also be given anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
BTP say reports from passengers can be combined to identify offenders, and even details that seem minor can help link incidents. Texts to 61016 are monitored around the clock and officers can sometimes meet a train at a station. Anyone in immediate danger should call 999. Witnesses can ask to remain anonymous when texting, though subscriber information may occasionally be checked if needed for an investigation. Photos and videos cannot be attached to a text, but police can arrange for recordings to be supplied.
The wider picture
A Freedom of Information response from Transport for London (TfL) records 130 sexual offences on Central line trains between January 2025 and June 2026. The same data show 165 on the Northern line, 131 on the Victoria line and 114 on the Jubilee line. These are raw totals, not risk-adjusted rankings, because passenger numbers and services differ between lines.
BTP said it recorded 797 sexual assaults across the Underground, DLR, London Overground and tram networks in 2024. It cautioned that offences on moving trains are assigned to an end station in its system, and that lines have different numbers of stations, services and passengers, so direct comparisons are limited.
The London Assembly reported that 856 sexual offences against women and girls were recorded on the Underground in 2024–25, compared with 745 in 2022–23, a rise of about 15%. It cited University of Manchester research suggesting only around 17% of sexual offences on public transport are reported. BTP’s annual report recorded 2,670 sexual offences across the railway network in 2024–25, up from 2,437, and said part of the rise may reflect greater willingness to report.
