A British man has become the first person to be convicted in a British Transport Police prosecution for gender-based harassment under new legislation, having been sentenced to a 12-month community order.David Stroud, 44, of Dartford, admitted the offense at Highbury Corner Magistrates’ Court following the incident on the train from Hastings to London, the BBC reported.The case marks the first time legislation in England and Wales has made it a criminal offense to intentionally harass someone because of their gender in a public place. Stroud was arrested two days after the law took effect on April 1.Prosecutors said Stroud approached a woman who was talking to her boyfriend on the train and sat next to her. Along the way, he leaned toward her multiple times, called her “amazing,” grabbed her hair and asked, “Can I kiss you?”The court heard the woman rejected the move, replying “absolutely not” and telling him to stop, but he continued to interact with her.In a victim impact statement read out during sentencing, the woman said the encounter left her feeling “trapped, powerless and petrified”.She told the court: “When I leave home now I always feel the need to have someone with me. I can never really go anywhere on my own, just because I am a woman.”The woman, who claims to be a survivor of childhood sexual abuse, said the experience left her “paralyzed with fear” and changed the way she approached day-to-day activities.The court also heard Stroud appeared to have been drinking at the time of the incident. The victim said he smelled of alcohol on his breath, adding that she was scared by his actions.She said in the statement: “Imagine being a small young woman and having a tall, drunk man try to sit on you. I was not willing to accept this kind of contact with me.”The woman’s boyfriend heard the conversation on the phone and alerted British Transport Police. Police later arrested Stroud at London Bridge train station.Stroud previously admitted a 22-month stalking operation and was on bail for stalking at the time of the train incident.He was sentenced on two counts Tuesday. Magistrates ordered him to complete a 15-day rehabilitation program, carry out 150 hours of unpaid work and comply with a 12-month community order.The victim said before the hearing that some people might view Stroud’s behavior as a drunken act or a “joke”, but he said the results showed the importance of reporting such incidents.“This justice proves that reporting to the police is worth it,” she said. “If these crimes go unreported and go unpunished, nothing will change.”The offense falls under the Public Order Act 1986 and covers gender-based harassment, including incidents targeting women and girls in public places such as streets, parks and public transport.
