Creep who harassed woman on London train told police it was 'just banter'

Creep who harassed woman on London train told police it was 'just banter' David Stroud, who also made vile remarks to the woman, became today the first person sentenced for harassment based on a person’s sex - but he was spared a jail term A dad has become the first person to be sentenced under a new law after he harassed a woman on a train. David Stroud, 44, grabbed a woman's hair and said "can I kiss you?" to her on a train to London on April 3, two days after a new law came into force banning harassment motivated by a person's sex. The man had been on an evening train from Hastings in East Sussex to London and was arrested by officers at London Bridge station. Stroud, from Dartford, Kent, told police while under caution that the incident was "just banter, we had banter together". The dad had been on bail for a separate 22-month stalking campaign at the time, a court was told. The new offence, under Section 4B of the Public Order Act 1986, covers intentional harassment directed at someone because of their sex, including where perpetrators target women and girls in public places, including streets, parks and public transport. Stroud, who admitted he had harassed the woman because of her sex, was "constantly leaning on to the woman" and got closer, telling her "you're magical" and grabbing her hair, which the victim "perceived to be sexual", Highbury Magistrates' Court previously heard. The woman had attempted to ignore him as she was a woman travelling alone. Stroud, a father-of-two, told the woman "you’re never going to find someone who loves your hair as much as I do", and she replied: "I already have someone." The woman's boyfriend heard the comments over the phone and called the British Transport Police, who then arrested Stroud. While under caution Stroud, who had been on bail for a separate 22-month stalking campaign at the time, said: "It’s just banter, we had banter together, do you know what I mean?", the court heard. He also said: "I’ve done nothing wrong to her." Stroud was sentenced for the train offence and the separate 22-month stalking campaign and was spared jail. He received a 12-month community order and being told to complete 15 days of rehabilitation activity requirement. He was ordered to carry out 150 hours of unpaid work and be fitted with an alcohol abstinence monitoring tag for 90 days. The judge also put in a five-year restraining order against him for the stalking victims and ordered him to pay £85 court costs and a £114 surcharge, totalling £199. In a statement, the train victim said she now struggles to get on public transport because of the ordeal. She said: "David Stroud’s crime has impacted every part of my life. I now struggle to get on public transport, especially trains, both alone and with friends. When I do travel, I'm on constant alert and I'm extra vigilant. "Women are used to this happening to them, whereas men are not. Some men may see this case and dismiss David Stroud's actions as banter or just someone being drunk. But they don’t have the same fears as women." The victim added: "On the train I was cornered by someone four times the size of me which is a really intimidating situation to be in." Sentencing him, District Judge Caroline Jackson said: "What's worrying about that is you were already on bail for the other stalking incident, you were drinking, it was targeting a lone female at about 9.30pm in the evening, she couldn't leave, as I said she couldn’t get off and felt trapped." Judge Jackson noted the "ongoing impact" of Stroud's harassment on his victim, adding: "You’ll leave court today with a sentence which you'll have to complete and then presumably you’ll forget all about it." Olivia Rose, deputy chief Crown prosecutor and the Crown Prosecution Service lead on stalking, said she hopes the law and Stroud's prosecution send a message to would-be offenders: "If you think you are going to get away with sex-based harassment because you consider it just to be friendly banter, it isn't. This is a serious offence and you will be prosecuted."