'I was abused by a stranger on the Tube and the other passenger's reactions left me reeling'

A woman has spoken out about the terrifying moment she was kicked and verbally abused by a stranger on the London Underground, while fellow passengers did nothing to intervene. Scarlett Owens, 23, was making her way from London to Liverpool on June 10, 2024, to see her family when the shocking incident unfolded.

She was quietly seated on the Northern line when, out of nowhere, a man boarded the train and violently kicked her in the leg. The man, who Scarlett had never seen before, began yelling at her. However, due to his "strong accent", she wasn't able to understand what he was saying.

The traumatic event brought Scarlett to tears and she admits she's still reeling from the shock. Following the incident, she reported it to the British Transport Police, who are now investigating the matter.

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Scarlett, who works as an influencer manager and lives in Tooting, south London, is now fearful of travelling alone on the tube, worried that she might experience a similar ordeal. Recalling the horrifying incident, Scarlett said: "I was just sitting on my own. It was not busy when this guy gets on the train and boots me in the leg and starts shouting at me for no reason."

She continued: "When the train started moving, he walked further down the train a little and continued to verbally harass me. I got a bruise on my leg from it." Scarlett had been on the tube for roughly 10 minutes when the man got on and assaulted her.

According to Scarlett, he continued to verbally harass her until he disembarked the tube "a few stops" later. She said: "I don't even know how long it went on for, I was completely frozen, and it was a whirlwind. He did not seem drunk as he was very composed and did not slur at all."

The incident brought Scarlett to tears, she claims no one on the tube offered to help her and instead they sat around and watched. Scarlett said: "No one came to see if I was OK. I made eye contact with a guy opposite me, and he just shrugged. I don't expect anyone to do anything because it happened so quickly, and I get no one wants to get involved, but even after it happened everyone acted like it was normal."

She burst into tears after the incident, and described being in a state of "total shock". Her family were shocked to hear what had happened, and now Scarlett is scared to use public transport alone again. Once she got home, Scarlett contacted the British Transport Police who sent her a form to fill a report out but she says she has not received a response yet.

A spokesperson from the British Transport Police said: "Officers are investigating a report of physical and verbal abuse on board a Northern line tube service at around 8pm on 10 June. Enquiries into this incident are ongoing. Anyone with information can get in touch by texting 61016 or calling 0800 405040 quoting reference 2400075040."

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