IT WAS 16 months in prison for Samuel Stoica, 23, at Snaresbrook County Court at the end of last week after he pleased guilty to carrying out a sexual assault on a teenager which he carried out on a 173 bus.
Stoica, of Ripple Road, Barking, was identified after being caught on the bus CCTV. In addition to the jail sentence, he will remain on the Sex Offence Register for ten years – and will be deported to Romania once he has served his sentence.
The court heard that on 24th May Stoica had got on to the bus in Dagenham and made his way to the upper deck. He approached a 17 year old girl and started talking to her – before attacking her. He held her by the throat as he assaulted her and he exposed himself.
After the sentencing, the police were quick to point how how seriously they take this kind of offence. Fortunately, attacks which take place on buses are not frequent – but it is important that attackers are caught before there is any risk of them re-offending.
•DC Teresa Moore from the Roads and Transport Policing Command said: “The sentence sends out a clear message that such conduct will not be tolerated and will be dealt with robustly. We remain totally committed to keeping people safe on the transport network across London. I would encourage anyone who is a victim of sexual assault to report the matter to police as soon as they can so we can catch the perpetrator(s) and put them where they belong – in jail.”
•Detective Superintendent Andy Cox from the Roads and Transport Policing Command said, “My sincere thanks to DC Teresa Moore from the Roads and Transport Policing Command CID who led the investigation and through an excellent investigation resulted in a good sentence imposed on a dangerous offender.”
•Mandy McGregor, Head of Transport Policing at Transport for London, said, “We are pleased with the sentence that has been given to Stoica for his disgusting and predatory assault of a young woman. Thanks to her bravery to come forward and report it, Stoica was identified quickly by the police and brought to justice for this crime. We are working closely with the police to target offenders and keep our passengers safe. We would encourage anyone who experiences unwanted sexual behaviour to report it to the police as soon as possible so we can take action.”
•Read more about attacks on East London buses: Police seek Tower Hamlets bus sex attacker Serial bus sex attacker strikes in Ilford Police hunt Romford bus pest