A Tajikistan national has been found guilty after an “abhorrent” sexual assault of a 13-year-old girl on a train.
Abdulmanon Aliev, who lives in south London, appeared at Inner London Crown Court for a week-long trial, where the jury found him guilty of two counts of assault by penetration, three counts of sexual assault and attempted rape.
Aliev, 50, approached the child on the train from Southend to London on June 16 last year, where jurors heard he attempted to use a translator app on his phone to speak to her.
The girl moved away from him to sit elsewhere, but he followed and sat next to her in an aisle seat, blocking her in by the window.
Aliev then forced himself upon the victim and subjected her to a prolonged sexual assault until the service arrived at London Fenchurch Street station where she was able get away from him and board another train heading back out of London, leaving Aliev behind at the station.
The girl reported the assault to members of the public, who encountered her in a distressed state, and the police were informed shortly after.
The verdict follows an investigation led by British Transport Police (BTP) detectives from its Major, Serious and Organised Crime (MSOC) team, during which detectives trawled hours of CCTV footage to track his movements before and after the attack.
Plain clothes officers spotted Aliev in Peckham on June 27 and he was arrested, with police footage showing the moment he was detained on a busy street.
His home was searched, and officers seized the clothes he was wearing on the day of the attack, with charges authorised the following day.
Specialist officers have supported the victim and her family.
BTP Detective Constable Elizabeth Cahill said: “Aliev singled out a vulnerable child and subjected her to one of the most abhorrent sexual assaults I’ve ever investigated.
“While the focus of attention will rightly be on him as the despicable sexual predator that he is, I want to pay 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.
“We take every sexual offence report extremely seriously, and we’ll stop at nothing to put offenders like Aliev before the courts.”
Aliev will be sentenced at Inner London Crown Court on June 17.
