Man sentenced in first case under new sex-harassment law

A man has been sentenced in the first criminal prosecution under a new law banning harassment motivated by a person's sex. David Stroud, 44, from Dartford, Kent, received a 12-month community order on Tuesday, June 9, 2026, after pleading guilty to harassing a woman on a train from Hastings to London on April 3.

The incident occurred just two days after the new offence under Section 4B of the Public Order Act 1986 came into force. Stroud sat next to the lone female passenger, who was on the phone to her boyfriend, on an evening train. According to court proceedings, he persistently leaned on her, called her "magical," and grabbed her hair, which the victim perceived as sexual. He told her, "You're never going to find someone who loves your hair as much as I do," and later asked, "Can I kiss you?" She repeatedly rejected his advances, stating she already had a partner and telling him to stop. The woman reported she could smell alcohol on his breath and felt trapped and intimidated.

Her boyfriend, hearing the interaction over the phone, contacted the British Transport Police (BTP). Officers arrested Stroud upon the train's arrival at London Bridge station. While under caution,...