See more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred SourceBy OLIVIA DAY, ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR, AUSTRALIA Published: 10:36 BST, 16 July 2026 | Updated: 15:27 BST, 16 July 2026
This is the moment an 'opportunistic' sex predator who sexually assaulted two women in two weeks is seen prowling empty trains late at night. British Transport Police released CCTV showing Sebastian Vernon, 45, walking through train carriages after he was found guilty of two counts of sexual assault.Vernon, from west London, was sentenced to six months in prison on July 1 following a trial at Highbury Corner Magistrates' Court. He was also ordered to sign the sex offenders register for seven years. The court heard Vernon boarded a Circle line train at Ladbroke Grove heading towards King's Cross station about 11pm on March 25. Despite the carriage being virtually empty, he sat next to a young woman before sexually assaulting her while she was trapped in her seat. In a bid to escape him, she pretended to leave the train, but stayed on after she saw Vernon disembark.Just two weeks later, he struck again. Sebastian Vernon, from West London, was sentenced to six months in prison on July 1 following a trial at Highbury Corner Magistrates' Court British Transport Police released CCTV showing Vernon, 45, walking through train carriages (pictured) after he was found guilty of two counts of sexual assault Vernon was seen wearing a black suit as he walked through the virtually empty train carriageVernon sat beside a young woman in an otherwise empty carriage on a train from Stevenage to Hitchin just before midnight on April 8. He attempted to make small talk with the woman, but she became suspicious of his behaviour and moved towards the carriage doors. As she waited to leave the train, Vernon sexually assaulted her. The woman reported the assault through British Transport Police's text-to-report service, allowing officers to link the two attacks to the same offender. Detailed descriptions from the women helped specialist officers identify Vernon.They confronted him at a central London court as he emerged from a hearing for unrelated offences including assault, theft and cannabis possession.'You're under arrest on two counts of sexual assault by touching,' an officer told Vernon as he was handcuffed and placed in the back of a police van.BTP Detective Constable Iryna Cuthbert said: 'Vernon is an opportunistic predator who prowled train carriages late at night seeking out women who were travelling alone before attacking them. Detailed descriptions from two victims helped specialist officers identify Vernon (pictured) and arrest him as he left a hearing for unrelated charges at a central London court'I commend the bravery of the two women for reporting what happened and supporting our subsequent investigation which has resulted in another sex offender behind bars.'Tackling sexual offending on the railway is a top priority for BTP and we encourage anyone who is victim of, or witness to, this crime type to report it to us by texting 61016.'We take every report seriously and offenders like Vernon will be made to face justice.'
