A MAN who repeatedly exposed himself to women travelling alone on the railway has been jailed for three years, following a British Transport Police investigation.

Oliver Shoesmith, 36, of no fixed address, appeared at Winchester Crown Court on Friday, November 2, where he pleaded guilty to six counts of indecent exposure.

He was jailed for three years, given a 10-year sexual harm prevention order and ordered to sign the sex offenders register indefinitely.

The court heard how, on six different occasions over the course of a year beginning in July 2017, Shoesmith boarded trains at Aldershot, Southampton, Alton and London Waterloo, following his victims into empty carriages before sitting close to them.

Five of the victims reported becoming uncomfortable when they noticed Shoesmith was staring at them. In each incident Shoesmith then went on to perform a sex act on himself in full view of the women, while looking directly at them.

He approached his sixth victim, a train guard on a service from London Waterloo to Alton, and exposed himself to her before performing a sex act on himself in front of her.

Investigating officer DC Martin Chapman said: “Shoesmith’s gross indecency and vile behaviour left his victim’s intimidated, disgusted and frightened for their safety. By deliberately choosing women who were alone and following them into empty carriages, he knew his behaviour was utterly wrong but did so anyway. His sentence reflects the seriousness of his crimes and will hopefully serve as a deterrent to him committing such lewd acts again.

“Tackling all forms of unwanted sexual behaviour on the railway is a priority for us. We take any offence of this nature extremely seriously.

“We encourage you to report anything that makes you feel uncomfortable. I commend the six women who came forward and reported Shoesmith – every report builds a picture for us and every bit of detail brings us one step closer to finding the offender and bringing them to justice, just as we did with Shoesmith.

“No incident or detail is too small or trivial. What has happened is not your fault. We will always take you seriously and treat you with respect.”