A woman sexually assaulted a female Good Samaritan on a train, leaving her traumatised and struggling to come to terms with the scary ordeal.
Swindon Magistrates’ Court this morning (23 May) heard how 26-year-old Jodie Tucker attacked her victim on a mainline Great Western Railway service in August last year.
Tom Power, prosecuting, said the worried stranger approached the defendant at Didcot Parkway railway station – where she appeared “very drunk” and in need of some assistance.
Tucker was on the phone to a friend, and noting her intoxicated state, the Good Samaritan spoke to them, selflessly accepting the responsibility of helping her get back to Swindon safely.
The woman escorted the defendant onto the train. During the journey to Swindon, she touched the woman’s knee, before moving up her thigh and to her vagina – over the victim’s clothing.
Shocked and upset about Tucker’s behaviour, she told her to stop. But she continued regardless – placing her hand in the victim’s lap and touching her inner thighs for a second time.
Mr Power said that, in a victim personal statement, the woman said the incident had “affected her a lot more than she thought” at the time, and it has significantly added to her anxiety.
He added that she has been suffering from stress-induced hair loss, mood swings, struggles to concentrate and has nightmares where Tucker is standing over her and she feels like she’s trapped and can’t move.
The victim says the mental health issues – which are severely affecting her university studies – have only come to light since the attack. She is undergoing counselling.
Defence solicitor Mike Davis said his client, of Hathaway Road, Upper Stratton, Swindon, accepted she was on the train and had consumed a lot of alcohol – describing her as “very, very, very drunk”.
He said Tucker doesn’t have any recollection of her crime, but she has “never disputed the incident” and accepts the victim was only “trying to do the decent thing”.
Mr Davis told the court that the defendant – whose LinkedIn profile says she works as an HR and Talent Advisor for Xtrac in Thatcham – earns £2,500 a month and has just bought a house.
District Judge Joanna Dickens labelled the offence as “serious” because it happened on public transport, where the victim would have felt trapped.
“I accept you were very very drunk, but it’s not really an excuse… you chose to buy it, you chose to drink it”, she said.
“It is unusual for sexual offences to be committed by women against women”, she remarked. Adding: “I’m pretty confident this is going to be an isolated incident”.
District Judge Dickens imposed an eleven-month community order with 30 rehabilitation activity requirement days, a £200 fine and told her to pay £400 compensation to the victim.
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