Peckham Man Guilty of “Abhorrent” Train Assault on 13-Year-Old Girl

A man has been convicted of a series of serious sexual offences after a teenage girl was assaulted on a train travelling into London.

Abdulmanon Aliev, 50, a Tajikistan national living in Peckham, South London, was found guilty following a trial at Inner London Crown Court. The case was brought after an investigation by the British Transport Police, led by its Major, Serious and Organised Crime unit.

On 9 April, a jury convicted Aliev of two counts of assault by penetration, three counts of sexual assault and one count of attempted rape. He is due to be sentenced at the same court on 17 June.

The court heard that the offences took place on the afternoon of 16 June 2025, when the 13-year-old victim was travelling alone on a train from Southend towards London. During the journey, Aliev approached her and attempted to communicate using a translation application on his phone.

After the girl moved seats in an effort to distance herself, he followed her and sat beside her, positioning himself in the aisle and restricting her ability to leave. He then carried out a prolonged sexual assault as the train continued towards its destination.

The victim was able to escape when the service reached London Fenchurch Street station, where she left the train and distanced herself from her attacker. She later boarded another service out of London, leaving him behind.

Members of the public encountered her shortly afterwards in a distressed state, and she reported what had happened. Police were alerted soon after, triggering an urgent investigation.

Detectives reviewed extensive CCTV footage to trace Aliev’s movements both before and after the incident. He was located on 27 June in Peckham by plain clothes officers and arrested at the scene. A search of his home led to the recovery of clothing believed to have been worn during the attack.

A full file of evidence was submitted to the Crown Prosecution Service, which authorised charges the following day. Throughout the investigation, specialist officers have provided support to 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.”

Image: British Transport Police