A pervert exposed himself to dozens of women travelling on the London Underground network in a 'despicable' 90-minute long spree of sex attacks. When finally caught, Ayman Yanoussi, 21, slammed his head against the wall of the police van, stating that he regretted his actions and that he was 'taking the L'.
Details of the Incident
Yanoussi, of St Johns Road in Newham, was first spotted sitting on a bench on a platform at Upminster Bridge Underground station with his trousers around his ankles while touching himself inappropriately at 11.20am on December 28. A woman who saw his disgusting actions took out her phone to record what he was doing to pass on to police, but he quickly pulled his trousers up and hid behind a pillar.
He then boarded a District line train heading towards Wimbledon, sparking 90 minutes of Yanoussi exposing himself repeatedly. Not long after he boarded the train, Yanoussi sat next to a woman and pulled his trousers down. After that woman moved away, Yanoussi sat opposite another woman, again exposing himself to her before she moved away. Yanoussi repeated this behaviour a third time, sitting next to another woman and exposing himself as the train approached Elm Park, at which point several of the women who Yanoussi had targeted left the train.
Continued Offending and Arrest
Yanoussi continued to expose himself on different trains across London while occasionally touching himself inappropriately until 12.51pm, when a woman reported his behaviour to a member of staff. The train Yanoussi was on was held at Hammersmith Underground station, and Yanoussi quickly fled the station. A British Transport Police (BTP) officer was dispatched to the station and found Yanoussi waiting at a bus stop, where he was promptly arrested for exposure. While on the way to custody, Yanoussi began to slam his head against the wall of the custody van, stating that he regretted his actions and that he was 'taking the L'.
Previous Offences and Sentencing
After being detained, it emerged that Yanoussi had already been handed a Sexual Harm Prevention Order less than two weeks earlier, after he was sentenced to nine months' imprisonment, suspended for 18 months, having pleaded guilty to three counts of upskirting that occurred in April 2024. Yanoussi was sentenced at Inner London Crown Court on April 16 this year to 14 months' imprisonment, having previously pleaded guilty to two counts of exposure, breaching his SHPO, and possessing cannabis.
BTP Detective Constable Ian Hourihan said: 'Yanoussi's actions that day were despicable. He sought sexual gratification on the railway at the expense of dozens of women and other commuters. I am pleased to see him put behind bars, and would like to commend the bravery of the women who came forward to report his actions and support our investigation so we could secure justice. We believe that other women may have been targeted by Yanoussi that day, and I want to encourage them to come forward and report their experiences so we can secure justice for them too.'
If you've witnessed something similar or see any sexual offending on the railway network, the BTP urges you to report it by discreetly texting 61016. Every report is taken seriously, and officers can be dispatched to intercept trains and arrest offenders.
