A teenager has been jailed for five years after being convicted of raping a 16-year-old girl in toilets at Romford railway station.
Tommi Harwood, now 18, of Stanford-le-Hope, Essex, was sentenced at Snaresbrook Crown Court after a jury found him guilty following a five-day trial.
Harwood was 16 at the time of the attack, which happened on 5 September 2024.
British Transport Police (BTP) said CCTV footage showed Harwood smiling towards a camera on the station platform shortly before the victim arrived.
Attack at Romford station
The court heard that Harwood had contacted the girl through Snapchat and arranged to meet her at Romford station.
He had reportedly used the name “Bobby” while messaging her.
After learning she was travelling by train, Harwood asked to meet her at the station, where they met shortly after 8pm.
Police said CCTV showed him wearing a black jacket and trousers on the platform before the girl arrived.
The court heard that he took her into a waiting area before repeatedly asking her to check whether anyone was inside the women’s toilets.
When she entered the toilets, Harwood followed her and raped her.
As they returned to the platform afterwards, the court heard he told her: “If we see police, run across the tracks.”
Investigation and arrest
The victim reported the incident to British Transport Police the following day.
BTP’s Major, Serious and Organised Crime team launched an investigation, with detectives gathering CCTV footage, forensic evidence and witness accounts.
Harwood was not located until 25 October 2024, when officers spotted him at Basildon railway station.
Railway staff had stopped him for travelling without a valid ticket, allowing officers to arrest him.
Following further enquiries, the Crown Prosecution Service authorised a charge of rape.
Court sentence
Alongside his five-year prison sentence, Harwood was given an indefinite restraining order and an eight-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order.
Detective Constable Ross McAlpine, from British Transport Police, praised the victim’s courage in reporting the offence and supporting the investigation.
He said: “The young victim has shown tremendous courage, not only by speaking up and reporting what happened to her, but by supporting our enquiries and the court proceedings that followed.”
DC McAlpine described the offence as “premeditated and frankly abhorrent”, adding that Harwood posed “a very real threat to women and girls”.
He said tackling sexual offences remained a priority for British Transport Police and encouraged anyone affected by sexual offending to report it.
Anyone needing to contact BTP can text 61016, while emergencies should be reported by calling 999.
