A woman who was sexually assaulted on a Tube train has described her ordeal.

Amanda, an office manager from Newham, was on a packed Central line train in rush hour when a man started to rub against her.

Thinking he was aroused involuntarily, Amanda felt embarrassed for him. When he persisted, she knew he was molesting her.

"It was weird and scary. You kind of freeze. It feels easy to say you could move or swear at them.

"It sounds mad, but I could not do or say anything. I was really shaken. I felt this can't be happening," Amanda said.

She described staring hard at another passenger in a failed bid to attract attention.

When the carriage emptied out a bit, she managed to move away from her tormentor.

She wanted to turn round and get a good look at his face so she could give the police a description.

But she couldn't bear to look at him.

"I felt scared. I couldn't make eye contact with him," Amanda said.

She explained how she felt totally alone in spite of being in a crowd of people.

"It's very easy to imagine what you would say and do, but in reality it feels a lot harder. You're stuck in this pressure chamber."

When the train pulled into St Paul's, the culprit got off and Amanda watched through the carriage window as he strolled along the platform.

"I was shocked, fed up and angry at myself that I had not been able to say anything.

"I just froze. I'm a manager. I'm a boxer. I'm a grown woman who wasn't able to assert myself. It makes you feel small and weak.

"If you've been in that situation, you can understand how that feels. The worst part is the fear you won't be believed."

She reported it to the British Transport Police (BTP), but it wasn't possible to identify the culprit from platform CCTV.

Amanda spoke out about the ordeal - which took place in August 2019 - in part as a result of the public debate about women's safety which has followed the death of Sarah Everard.

A BTP spokesperson said: "We take every report of sexual offending seriously, and no incident is too small or trivial to report to us.

"Each report we receive provides us with valuable information which we can use to build a picture of an offender.

"Often it allows us to notice a pattern of offending behaviour and then take action."

It was while speaking to a detective that Amanda learned the Central line is a magnet for offenders because it is one of the few remaining London Underground lines where carriages lack CCTV.

She called for cameras to be installed on Central line trains as a matter of urgency.

%image(15259956, type="article-full", alt="Assembly member Susan Hall said in 2019: "One-in-four sexual assaults on the tube are on the Central line, yet perversely it doesn't have onboard CCTV."")

City Hall assembly members called for CCTV onboard Central line trains in September 2019.

A study showed one in four of sexual assaults on the underground happen on the route. It's one of only two lines where trains don't have cameras.

Siwan Hayward, director of compliance, policing operations and security at TfL, said: “All of our passengers have the right to travel without fear or intimidation.

"We work closely with the British Transport Police to combat unwanted sexual behaviour and harassment."

She added police officers patrol the network and encouraged anyone who experiences or witnesses any such behaviour to speak to staff or report it by texting 61016.

"More undercover patrols take place on the Central line than any other line and there is an extensive network of more than 77,000 CCTV cameras operating across London’s transport network, including cameras at all stations on the Central line.

"The work to improve the trains, which is now under way, will mean CCTV is installed on all 85 trains in the fleet,” Ms Hayward said.

However, the Covid-19 pandemic has delayed the roll out. Cameras are now expected on the whole fleet by 2025.

Amanda urged men to take the stories of women who suffer assaults seriously and those who commit such crimes to get help.

"I would simply ask them to try and understand why, to me, it felt like a significant violation of my body and dignity," she said.

Amanda described her attacker as white, about 5ft 7, chubby and in his 30s. He was wearing office clothes.

To report a crime on public transport contact the BTP on 61016. In an emergency, call 999.

We have changed this woman's name in order to protect her identity.