Ahmed Sheiki Ahmed, 40, of Wales Close, Southwark, has been jailed for three months after pleading guilty to intentionally causing harassment, alarm or distress on account of sex, in one of the first convictions under new sex-based harassment legislation. He was also ordered to pay a £150 fine.
Incident at Shepherd's Bush bus stop
On 5 April, paramedic Ella Johnson was responding to a 999 call at a bus stop in Shepherd's Bush when the man she was trying to help became abusive. While she and a crewmate attempted to assess him, he swore at her, used sexist and degrading language, said he wanted to touch her and repeatedly tried to grab her. Johnson activated a radio alert to colleagues in the London Ambulance Service control room, who called police. Officers attended the scene, arrested the man and charged him with sex-based harassment – a new offence that had come into force just four days earlier, on 1 April.
Landmark conviction under new legislation
The conviction is believed to be one of the first of its kind since the new legislation came into force. The offence applies where someone intentionally harasses another person because of their sex or presumed sex and carries a maximum sentence of two years' imprisonment, replacing the previous six-month maximum available under existing public order laws. The Met said 22 people had been charged under the new offence in the first three months after it came into force.
Paramedic speaks out
Speaking after the case, Johnson said: “I was there to help him and instead I had to listen to him using sexist degrading language and trying to grab me. We come to work each day to try to help and make things better for people and we don’t deserve to be treated this way. No one should be treated like this – women and girls should feel safe when they are out in public.” She added: "Please report it. It's not always easy to talk about but you will be supported by the police and the law is there to protect us. Now there are real consequences for people who behave like this."
Body-worn cameras capture abuse
Ella's body-worn camera recorded the abuse. London Ambulance Service equips all frontline crews with body-worn cameras, while its ambulances and response vehicles are also fitted with cameras as part of measures to protect staff. Jason Killens, chief executive of London Ambulance Service, said the conviction should send "a clear message that abuse will not be tolerated". "We are proud of Ella for her courage in speaking up," he said. "This new law will better protect women who work in public roles. We will always support our people to report this kind of abuse and work with police to help secure a conviction."
Police welcome stronger action
Detective Superintendent Dan Thompson, the Met's lead for violence against women and girls, said: "Women and girls deserve to walk London's streets freely without enduring obscene abuse and unnerving, scary invasions of their personal space. This new legislation is helping us to take stronger action against perpetrators, stepping in to protect victims and keep abusive offenders off London's streets."
