Father-of-two, 44, who grabbed woman's hair and asked for kiss on a train is sentenced under first sex-based harassment conviction

Published: 16:14, 9 June 2026 | Updated: 16:14, 9 June 2026 A father-of-two who grabbed a woman's hair while he asked 'can I kiss you?' has been sentenced in the first conviction for harassment based on a person's sex.  David Stroud, 44, made sexually motivated remarks to the victim on a train to London on April 3, two days after a new law came into force criminalising sexual harassment.  Stroud pleaded guilty to harassing the woman at Highbury Corner Magistrates' Court, which heard the perpetrator sat next to the woman, who was on the phone to her boyfriend at the time, on a train that left from Hastings at around 8.50pm.  The defendant, of Dartford, Kent, tried to talk to his victim, who made attempts to ignore him as she was a lone woman travelling at night, the court heard.  Stroud was 'constantly leaning on to the woman' and got closer, telling her 'you're magical' and grabbing her hair, which the victim 'perceived to be sexual'. The woman previously said she could smell alcohol on his breath and felt deeply uncomfortable by his behaviour during the disturbing encounter.   The victim's boyfriend, who heard the harassment through the phone, called the British Transport Police (BTP), who arrested Stroud at London Bridge Station.  Stroud, who tried to defend his actions as 'banter', was on bail at the time of the incident for stalking his ex-partner's daughter for nearly two years.  David Stroud, who grabbed a woman's hair while he asked 'can I kiss you?', has been sentenced in the first conviction for harassment based on a person's sex In continued attempts to defend his actions, he added: 'We had an amicable chat about her iridescent hair.' Prosecutor Paul Okebu previously said the victim attempted to ignore him, but Stroud became increasingly aggressive.  Mr Okebu said the incident 'made her feel very uncomfortable', adding that she felt 'cornered' and repeatedly told Stroud to stop touching her hair.  'He continued to try to make conversation and then asked 'can I kiss you?',' Mr Okebu said, to which the woman replied 'absolutely not'.  In a statement, the woman said the ordeal has left her struggling to use public transport, adding: 'David Stroud's crime has impacted every part of my life'.  She said: 'I now struggle to get on public transport, especially trains, both alone and with friends. When I do travel, I'm on constant alert and I'm extra vigilant.  'Women are used to this happening to them, whereas men are not. Some men may see this case and dismiss David Stroud's actions as banter or just someone being drunk.  'But you don't have the same fears as women. We have to think about what streets we walk down and have to be constantly aware of the dangers of assault or harassment at the hands of men.' Stroud pleaded guilty to harassing the woman, while on a train to London from Hastings, at Highbury Corner Magistrates' Court 'Everything women have to think about, men just don't have to consider. On the train I was cornered by someone four times the size of me which is a really intimidating situation to be in.'  Stroud told the woman 'you're never going to find someone who loves your hair as much as I do, to which she replied: 'I already have someone.' The court heard that while under caution, Stroud said: 'It's just banter, we had banter together, do you know what I mean?' He also said: 'I've done nothing wrong to her.' The new offence, under Section 4B of the Public Order Act 1986, covers intentional harassment directed at someone because of their sex, including where perpetrators target women and girls in public places, including streets, parks and public transport.  The 44-year-old father had previously pleaded guilty to the separate stalking campaign, the court heard on Tuesday.  He subjected his ex-partner's adult daughter to a 22-month long stalking campaign, making regular visits to her home, sending unwanted gifts and sending more than 200 emails.  Alex Chowdhury, mitigating, said Stroud, who wore a black hoodie and blue shorts in the dock, had lost his job as a technician at a water company because of his offending.  Mr Chowdhury said the defendant now recognises the impact of his crimes, adding Stroud 'lost the plot' at the time. He added: 'He is already facing consequences.' Sentencing him, District Judge Caroline Jackson said: 'What's worrying about that is you were already on bail for the other stalking incident, you were drinking, it was targeting a lone female at about 9.30pm in the evening, she couldn't leave, as I said she couldn't get off and felt trapped.' Judge Jackson noted the 'ongoing impact' of Stroud's harassment on his victim. 'You'll leave court today with a sentence which you'll have to complete and then presumably you'll forget all about it,' she told him. Stroud was sentenced for both offences together and was spared jail, receiving a 12-month community order and being told to complete 15 days of rehabilitation activity requirement. He was ordered to carry out 150 hours of unpaid work and be fitted with an alcohol abstinence monitoring tag for 90 days. Judge Jackson also made a five-year restraining order against him for the stalking victim and ordered Stroud to pay £85 court costs and a £114 surcharge, totalling £199. Speaking to reporters outside the court, Stroud said of his prosecution: 'The law changes and it is what it is. I was just unlucky that I was the first person at the time.' He said the victim impact statement made him appear like 'a monster'. 'I wasn't a monster,' he said. 'We had an amicable chat about her iridescent hair.' He added: 'I realised that I'd overstepped the line. And I walked away of my own accord because I thought, right, now it's time to go.' Olivia Rose, deputy chief Crown prosecutor and the Crown Prosecution Service lead on stalking, said she hopes the law and Stroud's prosecution send a message to would-be offenders: 'If you think you are going to get away with sex-based harassment because you consider it just to be friendly banter, it isn't. 'This is a serious offence and you will be prosecuted.' She added: 'I want to send a message to victims, so they feel that they can come forward, because they will be taken seriously.' BTP Detective Superintendent Sam Painter said: 'We urged the Government to introduce this new legislation to bolster our ongoing efforts in tackling sex-based harassment on the railway. 'David Stroud is the first man to be convicted of a Section 4B offence, but this is just the start. Since the legislation was introduced two months ago, we have made 26 arrests – all men – for this offence. 'Anyone who experiences or witnesses sexual harassment on trains or at stations are encouraged to report it to us by texting 61016. We will always do everything in our power to secure justice for victims.' No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. 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