'A truly depraved threat to women': Rapist who assaulted sleeping woman on Tube in front of child jailed
3 August 2023, 19:47 | Updated: 3 August 2023, 20:01
A 'truly depraved' rapist attacked a sleeping woman on the Piccadilly Line in front of another passenger and his child - and now faces years in prison for the horrific assault.
Ryan Johnston, 37, exposed himself and put the sleeping woman's hand on his genitals as she slept - then moving to attempt to rape her in front of passengers.
The attack between Hounslow West and Heathrow Terminal on 23 February 2020 saw Johnston hauled in front of Inner London Crown Court where he was convicted of rape and sexual assault.
The court heard that the vile attacker was a "serious danger to women" before he was jailed and remanded in custody before his sentencing on 29 September.
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Johnston's bizarre defense was that he already knew the woman and had met her at a rave - a story she described as "nonsense" during her testimony.
The homeless man had never interacted with the woman previously.
The pervert was convicted of one count of outraging public decency, two counts of sexual assault, one count of rape and one count of attempted rape at the court in Southwark.
Judge Nigel Peters remanded the rapist to HMP Brixton until his sentencing.
Judge Peters said: "He drops his trousers, his penis goes towards the victim in sleep or not, it doesn’t matter. He was observed by another passenger.
"Three hours prior to this he was dropping his trousers in north London."
"Obviously the rape has taken his conduct to another level than mere exposure," the judge said.
Detective Inspector Paul Attwell of BTP’s Major, Serious and Organised Crime Unit, said: "I have been a police officer for nearly twenty years and this is by far one of the most disturbing cases I have ever investigated.
"Johnston is a truly depraved individual who represents a very real and very serious danger to women.
"It is frankly unthinkable that someone could choose to subject a young woman to such a sustained and horrific attack while she was sleeping on an Underground train, and the fact that Johnston did so so brazenly in front of a member of the public and his young child speaks for his complete lack of shame or remorse which has continued throughout his trial.
"The profound impact his abhorrent offending has had on the victim cannot be underestimated, so I hope she can take some comfort in the fact justice has been served today and Johnston is now set to spend a significant proportion of his life behind bars.’
