A 50-year-old man has been found guilty of an abhorrent sexual assault against a 13-year-old girl on a busy London-bound train, following a week-long trial at Inner London Crown Court.
Abdulmanon Aliev, a Tajikistan national who lives on Rye Lane in south London, was convicted by a jury on April 9 of two counts of assault by penetration, three counts of sexual assault, and attempted rape. He will be sentenced at the same court on June 17.
The assault and a desperate escape
The court heard how Aliev targeted the child on the afternoon of June 16 last year, as she travelled on a c2c service from Southend Central to London Fenchurch Street. He initially attempted to communicate with her using a translator app on his phone.
When the girl moved away to a different seat, Aliev followed. He sat next to her in an aisle seat, trapping her by the window, before forcing himself upon her. The jury was told he then subjected her to a prolonged sexual assault as the train continued its journey.
Her chance to escape came only when the service finally pulled into London Fenchurch Street station. She managed to break free from Aliev, leave him behind on the platform, and board another train heading back out of the capital. It was on this subsequent journey, while in a deeply distressed state, that she reported the attack to members of the public, who then alerted the police.
The charges he faced are among the most serious on the statute book. Assault by penetration and attempted rape both carry maximum sentences of life imprisonment. Sexual assault, which can include unwanted touching of intimate body parts, carries a maximum term of 10 years.
Tracking a predator
The investigation was led by detectives from the British Transport Police’s (BTP) Major, Serious and Organised Crime (MSOC) team, a specialist unit within its Criminal Investigation Department. Officers trawled through hours of CCTV footage from the railway network, including from Southend Central station, to trace Aliev’s movements.
This meticulous work led plain clothes officers to Peckham on June 27, where Aliev was arrested on a busy street. A search of his home followed, with officers seizing the clothes he had worn on the day of the attack. Charges were authorised the following day.
Detective Constable Elizabeth Cahill of the BTP 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.”
She added that the verdict would not have been possible without the victim’s account and willingness to support the investigation, emphasising that the force takes every report of a sexual offence extremely seriously.
Support and context
Specialist officers provided support to the victim and her family throughout the process. In the wider context, numerous organisations offer help to victims of sexual assault and abuse, including Sexual Assault Referral Centres (SARCs) for medical and emotional support, and Independent Sexual Violence Advisers (ISVAs) who provide professional guidance regardless of whether a crime is reported to police.
The case also highlighted the use of technology in such offences. While Aliev used a translator app to initially approach his victim, such AI-powered tools are not considered a reliable substitute for human interpreters in formal legal settings due to concerns over accuracy, nuance, and accountability.
The BTP’s MSOC team, which led the inquiry, is part of a national specialist police force responsible for the railway network across Great Britain.
