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Sex offender jailed after train station assault

British Transport Police A mugshot of Neil Shorter, a balding or bald white man with stubble.British Transport Police
Neil Shorter was jailed at Oxford Crown Court

A man who sexually assaulted a young woman as she waited on a station platform for a train home has been jailed.

Neil Shorter, 56, paced up and down Newbury station and they had a short conversation in which he asked for directions before he sexually assaulted her in August 2024.

His victim reported the assault to station staff and Shorter was later identified by police.

Shorter, from Bicester, Oxfordshire, was jailed for two years and three months for the sexual assault and an unrelated stalking offence at Oxford Crown Court last month.

BTP A picture of Shorter at Newbury station, with people blurred around him. He is wearing a dark T-shirt and dark shorts. He is also wearing a cap and sunglasses.BTP
Footage of Shorter pacing up and down the station was released by the police

He was ordered to sign the sex offenders register for 10 years and he will be the subject of a sexual harm prevention order for the same time.

British Transport Police's (BTP) Det Con Kirsty Birley said: "This was a shocking attack in broad daylight at a busy station.

"I commend the bravery of the woman for immediately reporting what happened and supporting our subsequent investigation which has resulted in an additional sentence for a sexual predator," she added.

"Tackling sexual offending on the railway is a top priority for BTP and we encourage anyone who is victim of, or witness to, this crime type to report it to us by texting 61016."

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