Man who raped woman in front of other passengers on the London Underground has to go to prison

A man has been sentenced to prison for raping a woman in front of other passengers on the London Underground during the busy morning service, in what he described as a “brazen attack”.

Ryan Johnston, 37, was sentenced to nine years in prison and a further five years suspended at Inner London Crown Court on Friday, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said.

He was accused of rape, attempted rape and two counts of sexual assault as well as violating public order in connection with another plaintiff.

Johnston followed two women to their home after they saw him masturbating while looking out of the window of a house near Bounds Green tube station at around 5am on February 23, 2020, British Transport Police (BTP) said.

He pounded on their door and stuck his hand through the mail slot after the women managed to get in safely before finally leaving.

About three hours later, he boarded a Piccadilly Line train at Heathrow Airport’s Terminal 5 and approached a sleeping young woman, according to the BTP.

Johnston abused the 20-year-old as she was returning home from an evening with friends and then raped her in front of the other passengers.

A French citizen who was travelling with his eleven-year-old son witnessed the attack and reported it to the police.

However, the attack was not recorded on video surveillance and officers were unable to identify the victim at the time of the attack, the BTP said.

Johnston was arrested in December 2022 at HMP Brixton, where he was serving a sentence for burglary, after a BTP review of previous rape cases led to his identification and detectives identified the victim in the same month.

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The French national was flown to Britain to give evidence at the trial, where he helped refute Johnston’s claims that he knew the complainant and that she had consented, the CPS said.

After a two-week trial at Inner London Crown Court in August, a jury found Johnston guilty on all five charges.

He was also placed on the sex offenders register for an indefinite period.

Senior Investigator Paul Attwell, of the BTP’s Serious and Organised Crime Unit, said: “Johnston’s brazen attack in front of witnesses shows that he feels no shame or remorse for his actions. This has been the case throughout the trial.”

“I am grateful that his violence and despicable actions have been recognised by the guilty verdicts and lengthy sentences.

“His depraved actions will haunt the victim and all those who witnessed it for the rest of their lives.

“I am grateful for their courage throughout the investigation. I hope they can now find some comfort in the fact that justice has been done.”