By Lizzy Chirkpi
A 36-year-old Nigerian man, Babatunde Odutola, has been sentenced to 44 weeks in prison in the United Kingdom after exposing himself and masturbating in front of a woman on a train travelling through Cheshire towards Manchester.
Odutola, who is of no fixed address, was sentenced at Manchester Magistrates’ Court on Monday, September 14, 2026, three days after the incident.
According to a statement issued by the British Transport Police (BTP) on September 17, Odutola pleaded guilty to one count of outraging public decency and breaching a suspended sentence order.
The incident occurred at about 7pm on Friday, September 11, while Odutola was travelling on a train through Cheshire towards Manchester Piccadilly railway station.
The court heard that Odutola approached a woman who was travelling alone, looked her up and down in an intimidating manner and became aggressive after she refused to engage with him.
He subsequently exposed himself while seated in a wheelchair and began masturbating while looking at the woman and telling her to “come over.”
A fellow passenger intervened and escorted the distressed woman out of the carriage.
CCTV footage later showed Odutola continuing the act as other passengers passed through the carriage.
Police were alerted, and British Transport Police officers arrested him after the train arrived at Manchester Piccadilly.
Detective Constable Leonidas Christoforou of the British Transport Police said the incident must have been terrifying for the victim.
“Odutola is clearly an incredibly dangerous individual and his disturbing behaviour must have been terrifying for the victim, who he singled out when she was travelling on her own,” he said.
Christoforou said Odutola showed little remorse and initially denied the allegations during a police interview.
“He’s shown little remorse for his actions and denied the allegations against him during his police interview. But a stack of incriminating evidence, including damning CCTV and several witness accounts, left him with little choice but to plead guilty when he appeared in court,” he said.
The officer said the incident was not an isolated case, noting that Odutola was already a registered sex offender.
“This was not a one-off from Odutola, who was already a registered sex offender, and this type of alarming, predatory behaviour simply will not be tolerated on our railways,” Christoforou said.
He added: “Holding vile offenders like him to account is a number one priority for us as a force and we’re tireless in our efforts to bring them to justice.”
Christoforou urged passengers who experience or witness sexual offences on the railway to report them to the police.
“If you experience or witness these crimes on the railway, please report it to us by texting 61016. We will always take action,” he said.
The British Transport Police said Odutola was jailed within 72 hours of the incident.