Commuter kicked by stranger on London tube says 'nobody helped'

A woman who was kicked and verbally abused by a stranger on the tube says other passengers did nothing to help.

Scarlett Owens, 23, was travelling from London to Liverpool on June 10, 2024, to meet up with her family, when the incident took place.

She was sat on the Northern line when she claims a man got on and "booted" her in the leg, completely out of the blue.

She claims the man, who she has never seen before, started shouting at her but she wasn't able to understand him due to his "strong accent".

Scarlett said the incident brought her to tears and she is "still in shock" by what happened.

She reported it to the British Transport Police who are investigating.

Now Scarlett says she is scared to get the tube on her own as she is worried a similar incident will occur.

Scarlett, an influencer manager, from Tooting, south London, 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.

“When the train started moving, he walked down the train a little and continued to verbally harass me.

“I got a bruise on my leg from it.”

Earlier this month, Scarlett was travelling from London to Liverpool before going on holiday when she hopped on the Northern line.

She was on the tube for around 10 minutes, before she claims a man got on and kicked her.

Scarlett claims he then continued to to verbally abuse her until he got off the tube "a few stops" later.

Scarlett said: “I don’t even know how long it went on for, I was completely frozen, and it was a whirlwind.

“I couldn’t understand what he was saying because he had a strong foreign accent.

“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.

"The adrenaline kicked in at the time and I moved down the train and just burst into tears.

“When I got off the train, I just went straight to my flat (in Liverpool), acting normal but in total shock.

“My family were shocked and saddened to hear about the incident.

“I was cautious to go on public transport alone anyway, but now I feel even more so.”

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."