A victim’s quick action and an officer's training led to a sexual offender receiving 17 years in prison
College training supports policing to bring sexual offender to justice
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News
5 mins read
The non-contact sexual offences (NCSO) e-learning module, developed by the College of Policing, has now trained over 120,000 officers and staff in techniques that equip them with the knowledge and confidence to handle complex cases, prioritising victim support while pursuing justice.
Dorothea's story
[Dorothea] So, I was traveling to Dover with my mum and my cocker spaniel, Jasper. I'd kind of clocked this individual that was sat on the seats straight opposite us, just due to him staring. It had felt like, I don't know, five, ten, minutes had gone by and this man was still staring at us. And it then began to make us quite uncomfortable. He started performing a sexual act towards us. It was very obvious straight away what he was doing. It really highlighted to me how big of a problem this is and that it can happen anywhere. He saw this as a challenge and he still managed to make us like seriously uncomfortable and violated.
[Detective Sergeant Ed Salusbury-Trelawny, British Transport Police] For a sexual offence to occur on a busy train against a stranger like this indicates a high risk. He had shown himself to be a high harm offender by the nature of the offence he just committed. I had a strong suspicion this guy had committed other offences and we needed to get those fingerprints and DNA checked on the system against any outstanding crime. This case for me is a good example of why the NCSO training is so important.
[Detective Chief Superintendent Jamie Daniels, Crime and Criminal Justice Delivery Lead, College of Policing] So, the non-contact sexual offence training module, is available on College Learn. It's around an hour long and it helps officers and staff members work through how to tackle non-contact sexual offences, things like indecent exposure, outraging public decency, upskirting, some of those non-contact offences that can really leave harmful scars on victims.
[Detective Sergeant Ed Salusbury-Trelawny, British Transport Police] The fact that Dorothea came forward so early in this investigation made our lives much, much easier because it meant that we were able to capture the CCTV and identify the independent witnesses and get their testimony as fast as possible, which helped build this whole case. Had Dorothea not had the strength to come forward as she did, the offender would have gone away. Justice would have been absolutely not served.
[Dorothea] The fact that it was taken so seriously by the police and I was very well respected, it's completely changed my mindset around the police. It's happened in a time in my life where I'm strong enough to stand up for myself and I would just love to empower other women to be at that place and to feel like they can.
Dorothea was travelling by train when a man seated opposite began staring at her, before performing a sexual act towards her. Despite the distress of the experience, she reported the incident to British Transport Police (BTP) whilst still on the train.
Her early action proved critical. Police officers swiftly met her on a train station platform, where she identified the suspect and he was arrested. Officers then secured CCTV footage and interviewed witnesses. Having recently completed the College of Policing NCSO training, the investigating officers recognised that this incident could form part of a wider offending pattern, and they quickly discovered the suspect was on the run after committing a rape the previous day.
As a result of Dorothea's actions and the subsequent BTP investigation, he was later sentenced to 17 years in prison. The investigating officer was clear about the importance of her courageous decision, had Dorothea not come forward, the offender would have escaped justice. Her case is a powerful example of what happens when victims are supported to come forward, and officers and staff have the skills to act swiftly and decisively to bring offenders to justice.
Training that makes the difference
BTP's response reflects the impact of the NCSO specialist training which covers offences including indecent exposure, upskirting and outraging public decency. It uses victim stories and scenarios to help officers understand the serious harm these crimes cause and how to identify suspects, gather evidence and prevent further offending.
Detective Chief Superintendent Jamie Daniels, Crime and Criminal Justice Delivery Lead at the College of Policing, led the development of the training:
Stories like Dorothea's are exactly why this training matters. When victims feel heard and supported, they come forward - and that changes everything. This training gives officers and staff the tools to respond with the professionalism and sensitivity these cases demand and brings the Soteria approach to non-contact sexual offending, so that more victims have the confidence to report, more evidence is secured, and more offenders are brought to justice.
Taking these offences seriously
Non-contact sexual offences are serious crimes. Incidents that were once dismissed as minor are now understood to cause significant harm to victims and frequently escalate to more severe offending.
The e-learning is available on College Learn and takes an hour to complete. It is part of our ongoing commitment to tackling violence against women and girls (VAWG). It responds to recommendations from the Angiolini Inquiry and was developed following research with both the public and policing colleagues to identify the key challenges officers face when responding to these offences.
You will need to log in to College Learn to access this training.
