ROMFORD STATION RAPIST JAILED FOR FIVE YEARS AFTER ATTACKING TEENAGE GIRL IN TOILETS

12th October 202612th October 2026 Francesca Lilleystone 0 Comments British Transport Police, Rapist, Romford, Station min read

A teenager who raped a 16-year-old girl in the toilets at Romford railway station after arranging to meet her has been jailed for five years, following a British Transport Police investigation.

Tommi Harwood, 18, of Andersons, Stanford-le-Hope, was found guilty of rape after a five-day trial. He was sentenced at Snaresbrook Crown Court on Friday, 9 October.

Harwood was also handed an indefinite restraining order and an eight-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO).

The court heard that on 5 September 2024, Harwood, then aged 16, was messaging the victim on Snapchat under the name “Bobby”. When he learned she was travelling by train, he asked to meet her at Romford station.

Just after 8pm, the train arrived and Harwood met the girl on the platform.

He led her into a waiting room and repeatedly asked her to check whether anyone was inside the women’s toilets.

When the girl went to use the toilet, Harwood followed her and raped her.

Afterwards, the pair returned to the platform, where Harwood told the victim: “If we see police, run across the tracks”.

The victim showed considerable courage by reporting the attack to British Transport Police the following day and supporting detectives throughout the investigation and court proceedings.

A manhunt was launched to find Harwood, but initial attempts to locate him proved unsuccessful.

On 25 October, BTP officers spotted him at Basildon station after rail staff stopped him for travelling without a valid ticket. He was arrested and taken into custody for questioning.

The victim’s detailed account, together with forensic and CCTV evidence, helped secure the rape charge authorised by the Crown Prosecution Service.

BTP Detective Constable Ross McAlpine praised the victim’s courage and said he hoped the sentence would bring her some sense of justice.

He said: “The young victim has shown tremendous courage, not only by speaking up and reporting what happened to her, but by supporting our enquiries and the court proceedings that followed.

“She has been supported throughout our investigation by specialist officers, and I hope the fact her attacker is now behind bars brings her some sense of justice.

“Harwood’s attack was premeditated and frankly abhorrent. Through his actions, he has shown that he poses a very real threat to women and girls.

“Tackling sexual offending is a top priority for us at BTP. I would urge anyone who experiences or witnesses this offending to report it to us by texting 61016 or dialling 999 in an emergency.

“Just as we have in this case, we’ll stop at nothing to put dangerous sex offenders before the courts.”

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