Woman punched on Tube 'failed by emergency system'
Sally Wynter said she had been left traumatised after being punched by a stranger on a busy Victoria line train on 27 March, but her attacker was able to get away because she could not raise the alarm.
Ms Wynter has written to Sir Sadiq Khan - who has overall responsibility for the Tube network - describing the intercom system as a failure and urging him to "fix it now".
City Hall has apologised, saying it was unacceptable her calls were not answered and an investigation had begun.
Ms Wynter told BBC London that as her train had approached Green Park station at about 16:30 GMT, she "suddenly felt a punch to the right side of my right arm".
"I was pushed into the glass by a stranger that I hadn't seen before," she said, adding her attacker then got off the train.
When she got off the Tube at the next stop, Oxford Circus, she was "in shock" and pressed the emergency button on the platform's intercom "at least four times", expecting a member of staff to respond and then try to stop the assailant.
She said when she received no response, she had tried to contact British Transport Police (BTP), but could not get an urgent response.
She then called 999 and was re-directed to BTP, but gave up and left, she added.
BTP said officers attended the station after being made aware of the incident and conducted a search for the victim.
As they could not find her at the station, a telephone statement was arranged for later in the evening.
The force added that a man from south London was later arrested and bailed in connection with the assault.
It was later reported to police that a child had been attacked at Green Park station shortly after the assault on Ms Wynter, by a man of the same description.
Ms Wynter said she believed it was the same attacker and the second assault could have been prevented if her calls had been answered.
Help points, which include a fire alarm and buttons to call for assistance and for in an emergency, are installed across the Tube network.
Ms Wynter said her situation highlighted that the system failed to help passengers in need, which she said was "very dangerous".
"There's a variety of reasons people use these points and it's quite clear to me that the way these help points are set up is antiquated - these systems don't integrate properly into the campaign around what people should do."
She added: "I was lucky in the sense that I was away from my attacker but it could have been so much worse.
"It's an urgent problem that needs to be addressed. "
In a letter to Ms Wynter, London's Deputy Mayor for Transport, Seb Dance, said passengers on TfL's network "deserved to feel safe" and have "confidence that if things do go wrong, help is always available".
Mr Dance added he was "deeply saddened" about what happened and invited Ms Wynter for a meeting.
In a statement, TfL said: "We are investigating as a matter of urgency why Ms Wynter did not get the help she should have and have reached out to her to offer support."
Listen to the best of BBC Radio London on Sounds and follow BBC London on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to hello.bbclondon@bbc.co.uk
Rise in reports of violence against women on transport
TfL offers bystander awareness training over abuse
Transport for London
The Mayor of London
British Transport Police
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Axios
2 hours ago
- Axios
With indictment, Cantrell joins Louisiana's notorious political history
Mayor LaToya Cantrell became the first New Orleans mayor to ever be federally indicted while serving her term in City Hall. Why it matters: Cantrell becomes part of a notorious history of Louisiana politicians who have faced criminal charges from their time in office, which has long lent the state an unenviable reputation. Between the lines: Also the first Black female mayor of New Orleans, Cantrell has long said she has faced more intense scrutiny than others who have held the role. As New York Times columnist Charles M. Blow wrote last year during a failed effort to recall Cantrell, the mayor "has faced constant accusations of impropriety" as she's been "subject to a kind of sexism specific to Black women: misogynoir, as it's called." Worth noting: Cantrell's attorney told Axios around 1:30pm Friday that he had not received a copy of the indictment yet. He did not make any further comments. Catch up quick: Dozens of Louisiana politicians have faced criminal charges. Here are three standouts. Former Rep. William Jefferson Jefferson faced corruption charges after the FBI filmed him taking a $100,000 cash bribe with the goal of paying off an African official, the FBI says. Days later, the FBI infamously found $90,000 stashed in his freezer. He was convicted of bribery, racketeering and money laundering. Former Gov. Edwin Edwards The colorful Cajun was so popular with voters that he was elected governor four times from the 1970s through the early 1990s, though he faced multiple federal indictments during his third term. But he wouldn't be convicted until May 2000, when he was found guilty of taking bribes over riverboat casino licenses in his fourth term. Edwards spent eight years in a federal prison before launching a final unsuccessful campaign for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives in 2014. Former Mayor C. Ray Nagin Nagin, who led New Orleans during and immediately after Hurricane Katrina, was the city's first mayor convicted of corruption, according to WWL. Nagin, who was charged after leaving office, was found guilty of 20 counts of wire fraud, bribery and tax evasion after prosecutors said he took bribes while in office. He was sentenced to serve 10 years and was released early when officials sought to decrease prison populations in 2020 during the coronavirus pandemic.
6 hours ago
Brooklyn construction magnate gets probation for funneling illegal donations to NYC Mayor Eric Adams
NEW YORK -- A Brooklyn construction magnate was sentenced Friday to a year of probation for working with a Turkish government official to funnel illegal campaign contributions to New York City Mayor Eric Adams, resolving one of two related federal cases after the mayor's criminal charges were dropped. Erden Arkan, 76, told Manhattan federal Judge Dale Ho that he regretted his 'poor judgments' in engaging in the straw donor scheme, which helped Adams fraudulently obtain public money for his 2021 mayoral bid under the city's matching funds program. Ho cited Arkan's age and otherwise clean record in imposing the sentence, telling the Turkish-born businessman that his immigrant success story 'exemplifies the American dream.' 'I hope that you don't let this one mistake define you,' Ho told Arkan. Arkan faced up to six months in prison under federal sentencing guidelines, but prosecutors and the federal probation officer agreed that no prison time was warranted. In addition to probation, he must also pay a $9,500 fine and $18,000 in restitution. Arkan pleaded guilty in January to a conspiracy charge in Manhattan federal court. Weeks later, President Donald Trump's Justice Department pressured prosecutors to drop their underlying case against Adams, ultimately getting it dismissed. In court Friday, Arkan's lawyer Jonathan Rosen blasted the government for continuing to pursue his case after getting Adams' charges dismissed. 'To put it mildly, this is a very unusual case. In fact, it is unprecedented,' Rosen argued. In February, Justice Department leadership ordered Manhattan federal prosecutors to drop Adams' case, arguing that it was hindering the Democratic mayor's ability to assist the Republican administration's immigration crackdown. Ho, who also oversaw the mayor's case, dismissed his charges in April. In a written opinion, he agreed it was the only practical outcome but also criticized what he said was the government's 'troubling' rationale for wanting the charges thrown out. While Adams was spared, prosecutors continued to pursue related cases against Arkan and a former aide to the mayor, Mohamed Bahi. Bahi, who served as City Hall's chief liaison to the Muslim community, pleaded guilty on Tuesday to soliciting straw donations for Adams' mayoral campaign from employees of a different Brooklyn construction company at a December 2020 fundraiser. Arkan acknowledged in his January plea that he knowingly violated the law by reimbursing employees of his construction firm for their donations to Adams' campaign. In brief remarks Friday, he apologized to city taxpayers who bankroll the matching funds program, telling Ho: 'I love this city. I dedicated my life to making it better. It pains me that I have harmed it.' According to prosecutors, Adams personally solicited donations from Arkan and a Turkish consular official at an April 2021 dinner. The following month, Arkan held a fundraiser at the headquarters of his construction company, KSK, in which 10 employees donated between $1,200 and $1,500 to the campaign. They were later reimbursed by Arkan, making them illegal straw donations. Adams then used those funds to fraudulently obtain public money under the city's matching funds program, which provides a generous match for small-dollar donations, prosecutors allege. A well-known member of New York's Turkish community, Arkan's ties to Adams first emerged in November 2023 after federal investigators searched the businessman's home, along with the home of Adams' chief fundraiser and his liaison to the Turkish community. Adams pleaded not guilty to bribery and other charges after a 2024 indictment accused him of accepting illegal campaign contributions and travel discounts from a Turkish official and others — and returning the favors by, among other things, helping Turkey open a diplomatic building without passing fire inspections. At a Feb. 19 hearing that precipitated the dismissal of his case, Adams told Ho: 'I have not committed a crime.' The first-term mayor, a former police captain, skipped the June Democratic primary and is currently running for reelection as an independent.
San Francisco Chronicle
6 hours ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Brooklyn construction magnate gets probation for funneling illegal donations to NYC Mayor Eric Adams
NEW YORK (AP) — A Brooklyn construction magnate was sentenced Friday to a year of probation for working with a Turkish government official to funnel illegal campaign contributions to New York City Mayor Eric Adams, resolving one of two related federal cases after the mayor's criminal charges were dropped. Erden Arkan, 76, told Manhattan federal Judge Dale Ho that he regretted his 'poor judgments' in engaging in the straw donor scheme, which helped Adams fraudulently obtain public money for his 2021 mayoral bid under the city's matching funds program. Ho cited Arkan's age and otherwise clean record in imposing the sentence, telling the Turkish-born businessman that his immigrant success story 'exemplifies the American dream.' 'I hope that you don't let this one mistake define you,' Ho told Arkan. Arkan faced up to six months in prison under federal sentencing guidelines, but prosecutors and the federal probation officer agreed that no prison time was warranted. In addition to probation, he must also pay a $9,500 fine and $18,000 in restitution. Arkan pleaded guilty in January to a conspiracy charge in Manhattan federal court. Weeks later, President Donald Trump's Justice Department pressured prosecutors to drop their underlying case against Adams, ultimately getting it dismissed. In court Friday, Arkan's lawyer Jonathan Rosen blasted the government for continuing to pursue his case after getting Adams' charges dismissed. 'To put it mildly, this is a very unusual case. In fact, it is unprecedented,' Rosen argued. In February, Justice Department leadership ordered Manhattan federal prosecutors to drop Adams' case, arguing that it was hindering the Democratic mayor's ability to assist the Republican administration's immigration crackdown. Ho, who also oversaw the mayor's case, dismissed his charges in April. In a written opinion, he agreed it was the only practical outcome but also criticized what he said was the government's 'troubling' rationale for wanting the charges thrown out. While Adams was spared, prosecutors continued to pursue related cases against Arkan and a former aide to the mayor, Mohamed Bahi. Bahi, who served as City Hall's chief liaison to the Muslim community, pleaded guilty on Tuesday to soliciting straw donations for Adams' mayoral campaign from employees of a different Brooklyn construction company at a December 2020 fundraiser. Arkan acknowledged in his January plea that he knowingly violated the law by reimbursing employees of his construction firm for their donations to Adams' campaign. In brief remarks Friday, he apologized to city taxpayers who bankroll the matching funds program, telling Ho: 'I love this city. I dedicated my life to making it better. It pains me that I have harmed it.' According to prosecutors, Adams personally solicited donations from Arkan and a Turkish consular official at an April 2021 dinner. The following month, Arkan held a fundraiser at the headquarters of his construction company, KSK, in which 10 employees donated between $1,200 and $1,500 to the campaign. They were later reimbursed by Arkan, making them illegal straw donations. Adams then used those funds to fraudulently obtain public money under the city's matching funds program, which provides a generous match for small-dollar donations, prosecutors allege. A well-known member of New York's Turkish community, Arkan's ties to Adams first emerged in November 2023 after federal investigators searched the businessman's home, along with the home of Adams' chief fundraiser and his liaison to the Turkish community. Adams pleaded not guilty to bribery and other charges after a 2024 indictment accused him of accepting illegal campaign contributions and travel discounts from a Turkish official and others — and returning the favors by, among other things, helping Turkey open a diplomatic building without passing fire inspections. At a Feb. 19 hearing that precipitated the dismissal of his case, Adams told Ho: 'I have not committed a crime.' The first-term mayor, a former police captain, skipped the June Democratic primary and is currently running for reelection as an independent.
